


Aura Reader

by DanDraco



Series: Aura Reader [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Aura Reader, Gen, Intro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-18
Updated: 2013-07-18
Packaged: 2017-12-20 14:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/888497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanDraco/pseuds/DanDraco





	1. Intro

I was told over and over again, that the strong were born to be strong. I wasn’t strong. I was born like everyone else on this planet: in a city that no one knew existed. Well that’s just me. About 15 years ago, six cities were discovered. Now they are inhabited by everyone and belong to the United States. Control for them is a hot topic in politics. America just happened to find some of them first. I live in Ace city. This city is named the city of legends: Where everyone is supposed to be strong leaders. Well that’s not what I see. Thought my life I see people who abuse their abilities. I call them jackasses. They are not meant to be leaders. They never went through what I went through. And I don’t mean idiot high school stuff, I mean save the universe from evil darkness stuff. This is a story of my battle through a war that was fought in secret that no one knew existed. My name is Django Hunter. And this is my story.


	2. Beginning to the End

No one likes to wake up early in the morning. For school or work or…. Well that’s mostly it. I woke up, put on my fake leather jacket and my pants. I get my sling pack and put in my fingerless gloves and got ready like every teenager. But not every teenager questions his uncle about his parents. I live with my Uncle Marc. According to him, my mother left me with him the night she died. By died he means killed. Both her and my dad were killed and the police couldn’t find my mom’s killer and eventually they called off the case.  
”So” said Marc eating a bagel. He refuses to shave the white beard he has. I swear, some kids thought he was Santa every year.  
“So” I replied.  
“Today’s the first day of school.”  
“Hallu-freaking-ulah”  
“Come on, it won’t be like last—“ I interrupted him with one of my ‘it will be like last year and the year before that and the year before that’ face. This talk happens every single year and it’s the same thing: Jocks thinking they are better than everyone, telling me to go kill myself whenever I tell them off. I’m too stubborn to back off.  
I just grabbed my stuff and went to bus stop but was interrupted my Uncle Marc. “You know, tomorrow’s your 16th birthday”  
“…. I know”  
“Remember to stop by the office to begin you shift after school”  
“You mean your bedroom?” Marc owns Ace city’s Freerunning delivery corps. The city small and crowded enough to have one. You see, here, it’s always crowded with cars that delivery vans can’t get through. My Uncle had an idea “Instead of the roads, why not use the rooftops?” and the Freerunning Delivery corps was made. I got a job with them thanks to my Uncle being in charge. The breeze is strong on top of the buildings so we wear light jackets. They also protect from any scratches we could get from jumping building-to-building.  
“You know what I mean”  
“Relax, I’ll be there” I said as I went out to the bus stop. As I was waiting for the bus to come, I looked around the city. The ground’s not very impressive. But the skyline is; a pure playground for freerunners. On every building, there’s always a way to get to the other, boundless possible ways to get around.  
“Dude!!!!” Blake came up behind me to tell me hello and put his arm around me. His girlfriend was with him aka my best friend Fate.  
“Dude, your birthday is tomorrow.” Blake said to me. He had short spiky hair, always wearing his football Jersey. God how I hate sports.  
“Ohh really? I forgot thanks for reminding me.” I said. For a moment, I heard Fate giggle a little. I don’t think Blake noticed.  
“You don’t have be all sarcastic about it” He let go of his arm around me  
“Dude, I’m kidding”  
“I know I’m just joshing ya” He gave me a playful punch.  
“Happy birthday, Django” Fate said as she hugged me.  
“Tomorrow’s my birthday.” I replied. I couldn’t help but smell her hair. Luckily, it looked like I took a breath. Her hair was short up to her shoulders. She had beautiful bangs, one side was longer on her right side. She has an eye mutation and hides it from everybody. I’m the only person that knows, even Blake doesn’t know.  
“Fine. Happy early birthday. Better, grammar nazi?” She hugged me longer than she usually did and I just let it last. Until Blake came in and put his arms around us.  
“So what you going to do for your birthday?” Blake asked  
“I don’t know. Anything.” I said. Sit in my room alone like I’m usually am I thought.  
“I’ll do something with you!” Fate said trying to cheer me up.  
“Like?”  
“….. I’ll…. Think of something” Fate turned away to think of something.  
“Unfortunately, I have football practice” Blake said  
“It’s the beginning of the year.” I said  
“Django” Blake put his hand on my shoulder “I’m that good”  
“The bus is here” Fate said as it pulled up. We got on the bus. “Thought of anything yet?” I asked Fate. And she replied  
“Shut up! I’m thinking!” She’s a smart independent girl. 

As I got off the bus, I saw someone on the rooftops. A figure with a hood staring at me and running towards the roofs. I paid no attention to it, must have been one of Marc’s delivery people. I had other things to worry about. Something every teen must always face: the first day of school. Let’s just say this: not pretty. Jocks bullying me.  
“Yo, give me your money”  
“You should’ve brought your wallet”  
“I don’t have any money, freak now give it to me”  
“Why do you need mine? Wasted it on beer and hookers again?”  
Yeah. That never ends well. Luckily, a teacher walked by and the jock let go and was “politely” asking me if Ms. Rojas will have a test ready. You know Bullies’ one weakness, teachers. At least Blake is the only one who doesn’t kick my ass. Blake and Fate are the only friends I got.  
At lunch, a cupcake with a candle was placed in front of me. “You know it’s tomorrow right?” I said to Fate. She always does this on my birthday. They are usually the highlight of my day.  
“I couldn’t wait to give it to you tomorrow.” Fate said as she wrapped her arms around me from behind.  
“Well thank you.” I ate it. “Shouldn’t you be with Blake?” I didn’t care really  
“He’s trying to set up his all-star status” She pointed to the other side of the cafeteria where Blake was talking to the jocks. Blake means well but he doesn’t know what he gets himself into. “I don’t care anyway, it’s your birthday, and I want to hang with you”  
“You always want to hang with me”  
“Your point?”  
“Anyway, have you thought of anything?”  
“Yes, how about instead of the usual parties where people get drunk and make babies, we go to the temple?” There are temples in the six cities. There is usually nothing in there but archeologists are convinced there is something else that we can’t see.  
“Alone? In the dark temple? I don’t think Blake will like that” I teased. At this point, I don’t care about him.  
“He’s too interested in his football thing, and he won’t care. Come on. Please?”  
“Alright fine” I said back smiling.

After the rest of the day being all sucky, we finally got out. As I was saying goodbye to Blake and Fate, I saw the same guy again: the figure on the rooftops. He was observing me. His hands gesturing to come up. He wanted me to follow him. I thought he was an employee of Marc. He usually sends some of his guys to escort me home. I shrugged it and climbed on the roof, and he started running. I don’t why he ran, but I run after him.  
“Hey, dude, wait up!” He kept running jumping from roof to roof, but I kept running. Faster than I knew I could. For some reason, I felt like I could keep going and never stopping. He jumped from the roof again and I followed. But by the time I jumped, I realized there was no roof to reach, just ground. I thought it would all end here. But I made it, without the aid of the tuck and roll. I didn’t feel a thing. But I ignored it and continued chasing him.  
He ran into an alley and jumped on the dumpster and grabbed the latter ahead of him and pulled himself up. I did the same thing without fail. And the chase began again. “What? No introductions?” I yelled out to him, but he didn’t respond. Why is this guy running? Marc’s employees usually tell me he’s here to escort me. Is this a prank by Marc? Did he tell this guy to get me to chase him to get me home faster? I followed him back home. He stopped at an edge of a building.  
“Finally, now what is it Marc wanted that was so important?” I asked him as I finally caught up. He didn’t answer me. Just stood there, and looked back at me. I couldn’t see his face. He had what looked like a hoodie, but it extended like a robe would. It had short front panels on the front and long ones in the back. He stepped off the ledge. What is he doing? You can’t survive a direct fall like that. “What are you doing?!” I yelled as I ran and tried to grab his hand but he was gone. It was like he vanished in mid air. I didn’t even hear his body hit the ground. “What the… Fuck?”  
I got down from the building and ran inside to tell Marc what happened. I mainly told him about the surviving the height thing.  
“Interesting….” He said scratching his beard  
“What are you talking about?” I asked back, wanting real answers this time. Not excuses.  
“I’ll tell you tomorrow. If my theory is true, I will tell you everything”  
“Why not now? Why won’t you tell me now!? Marc, what is this theory?”  
“…. I’ll tell you in the morning, for now, deliver this package for me.”  
“…. Fine.” I was mad at him for not telling me. But the fact I will know everything he kept from me is what made me behave.


	3. The Next Guardian

That night I could barely sleep. For some reason, my room kept getting hot and rolled around on my bed to find that cold spot. But the the main thing that kept me up was the dreams. Or as I call them nightmares. I saw Ace city in ruins. Two hooded men, fighting with great swords. One with a black and red hooded robe and a great sword and other one with a black and white hood robe with a crescent moon blade. Swords clashing, energy unleashed. Somehow all of it was familiar to me.   
When it was morning, I woke up sweating. But when I looked at my hands…. I saw the same energy from the dream. Red energy. Surprising it didn’t hurt but I was scared beyond belief.   
“Marc!!!!!!!!” I didn’t know what to do. What else was I suppose to do? Marc came in the next five seconds. As though he excepted it. “Whoa” he said. It was more like a ‘beautiful sunset’ whoa than a ‘oh my god what is that!?’ whoa.   
“What’s happening what do I do!?!”  
“Django, relax. It will not hurt you. Take a deep breath.” Easy for him to say. He’s not the one with a crazy power. Or whatever this is. As I relaxed, the energy disappeared.   
“So it finally happened”  
“You knew about this? What was that, that just happened!?” I wanted answers. Marc just looked at me. “Follow me” he said. He took me to his office. He took out a book and the shelf moved to the right like in the movies. “what……” I was confused.  
“Its time you knew.” said Marc. I paid attention. We went into a giant chamber underground. A training ring and a armory of some sort. In the middle of the ring was the same symbol as my necklace. The star. Marc guided me to the ring to answer my questions. “Huh. I prepared for this for so long, I don’t know how to begin.” He just stood there. Wondering how to start answering my questions I asked since age seven. “Ok. Your father wasn’t like regular humans. He and a whole race were called Aura readers. Human-like beings that can make their aura visible and use it as a weapon. As well as control one of the four elements: Air, water, earth, and fire.” He stopped so I can take it all in. I had no idea what to think of this. “So…. I’m a superhero?” I always wanted powers.  
“In a way, yes. But your family is different from most. Maybe the most important people on the planet” I started to like the idea of being a king as he said that. “Your family can control all five.” I started imagining that I can do to those who pushed me around. “Wait, was my mom an aura reader?” I asked. “No, if she was, I would be too and I wouldn’t have this fat” I started to see his point “When you father saved my sister, we became best friends. Even though I can’t do all those amazing things aura readers can do.”  
“Why haven’t I heard of them?” They must be good if the government hasn’t heard of them.   
“No, they had to keep secret for years. If humanity found out about them, they would be afraid of them. A whole race that can kill everyone in seconds whenever they want.” I started to imagine the real damage I can do. “But the aura readers aren’t evil. They want this world to be in peace. That was their goal when they came here.” That last sentence made me think. We came from space? “But some people didn’t like the fact they were too slow to create peace, so they wanted to…. Speed things up. And the dark aura war started” He pause so I can take in again. And maybe to hear some questions.   
“Dark aura war?”   
“The aura reader’s enemy: the Dark readers. They relied on the shadows and the dark version of the elements to battle. They have been at war in secret ever since. All because they believe that controlling people is the only way for peace. And it’ll be up to you to stop them.” Me? I’m the one who will end it? I couldn’t imagine doing that. I didn’t want to.   
“No no. I can’t. Someone else must be better than me”  
“Nope, you’re the only one with the power you can”  
“No Marc I can’t. I’m weak. Get someone else to do it. They’re all fighters, someone must be better.” I was about to walk out until Marc interrupted. “There are no more.” I froze. “They are gone. Ever since the invasion.” I remembered the dreams.   
“Invasion?” I needed to know more.  
“15 years ago, one of the aura readers betrayed them. He was exiled. But came back with army and expanded the dark readers. Invaded the six cites. But the odd thing was; no signs of struggle, the aura readers and dark readers disappeared. Your mother told me that when she gave you to me. She ran away as though someone was chasing her. I never heard from her since” I looked back and saw him open a locket of him and what looked like grandpa and grandma. And the other girl was my mother. I could have sworn I saw a tear. A rare sight.  
“Marc. I’d do more bad than good. Besides, we’re pretty much at peace already. You said they were all gone, so there is nothing to worry about…”   
“Wrong. The dark readers had support from humans. They called themselves Darkwatch. No one knows about them, only me and this company.”   
“’This company’?”   
“What, you think I like delivering packages for a living?”  
“You mean the freerunning corps is in on it too!?”   
“It’s a front, like how Darkwatch has many fronts. We’re called the Zodian Guard.”  
“Ok, so I have been assisting you in you’re little fantasy war?” So he was preparing me from the start, against my will. Blake, Fate, and I all were part of the corps for a while. Blake quit, focusing on his football thing and Fate works when she has to.   
“Not really, we needed money and this thing gives us all the money from the government we need. Best part is, they have no clue what we’re doing. Trying to protect their asses.”  
“I don’t believe this.” I said about to leave.   
“Django…”  
“I’m not going to be some weapon for you.”   
“I-I… I never said you were going to be a weapon…”  
“Seems like you are…” Another awkward pause. “I’m going to get ready for school” I walked out. 

Everything my Uncle told me, echoed in my mind throughout the day. I wanted to forget it. Maybe I could use that birthday wish to make today not happen at all.  
“YO DJANGO!” Fate screamed in my ear. I swear, I’m going to go deaf.  
“OW! What was that for!?”  
“You were lost in thought and I just couldn’t wait anymore. Now eat your birthday cupcake.”  
“You gave me one yesterday”  
“I fail to see your point” she said smiling. This is why she’s my best friend. “We’re up for tonight?” I was about to say yes when Blake came out of nowhere. “Whoa, What’s this I hear?”   
“Me and Fate are going to explore the temple” I didn’t realize how bad that seem till I said it out loud.   
“Django, I respect you and all, but there are limits.”  
“Blake, I’m not stupid. I’m going to steal your girlfriend. You know me.”  
“We’re not going to do anything bad, dear.” Fate said, trying to get on his good side.  
“Well I thought we were going to that party?”  
“What party? You never mentioned a party.”  
“I was going to tell you now”  
“Why are even you going? Why not join us?” That sounded wrong but funny.  
“I have to be there, I have to keep up appearences.”  
“There are more important things than statuses.” Everyone in the room looked at the ongoing fight.  
“Okkkkk we’re all friends here” I said trying to make sure nothing bad happens.   
“Blake, I’m going with Django. Your idiotic jock friends won’t stop me.”  
“They are not idiots.”  
“They torture Django and try to hit on me!”  
“Ok Bob said he would stop” Fate just starred at him.  
“It’s either your status or your friends”  
“You’re making me choose? You know, why do I think your doing this so you can be with Django?” Everyone just whispers. Blake is the best guy on the team and he’s like a celebrity. I can see the headlines now. ‘quarterback’s girl goes for the weak loser’   
“At least, he’s a better person than you are” Everyone goes silent and waits for the next response. I didn’t say anything; my heart was beating so fast to the fact that Fate might like me more than friends. I gripped the table so hard at the thought of it. But I was worried that this might hurt our whole relationship. High school shouldn’t be like this. Thank you, society.  
Blake said nothing, he just looked at us and turned away. And head for the jock table. Everyone got back to eating. I can hear whispers about what went on just now.  
“You ok?” I tried to help. She just looked at me.   
“I don’t care what anyone says, I’m going to hang with you wither Blake like it or not.”  
“But what about the three of us?” She looked over at Blake. The look in her eyes wasn’t regret. It was like she looked at a dead body that was once her friend. I guess this Blake now, killed the Blake we used to know.   
“He isn’t the same he was before” I feel bad that this was my fault  
“It’s not your fault. To be honest, I wanted to do that.”  
“You wanted to break up with him?”  
“Yes……” She extended the pronunciation of the word. She was nervous.  
“For any reason what-so-ever?” I asked teasing her even though at this point, I was gripping the table as hard as ever.  
“… Maybe. You’ll have to find out about that for yourself. And who knows? You’re birthday present might answer your question.” She let that linger a bit around me. “Still up for the temple exploration?” She turned to me and smiled  
“Yes.” The table I had gripped broke by the time I left.

Fate made me forget about the aura readers. I felt finally happy. This part of me was locked inside till now. But as I said goodbye I saw someone again. Another hooded man on the rooftops. But I got a strange headache all of a sudden; a blast of energy came from where the person stood. It knocked me back on the ground. I looked up to see that man jump straight down from the roof and landed on the ground with no problem. A human can’t survive that without injuries. He wasn’t human  
He walked towards me. I just sat there; frozen in place.  
“Well, well, well” He finally spoke “Hello Django.”  
“How do you know my name?” He just stood there. I looked at his eyes. Those yellow eyes. There was no white. It was replaced with black. I begin to recognize him. He was in my nightmare: The robe with black and white and the crescent blade in his holster on his back. He stared back and finally spoke “You look just like your father”   
When he said that, my eyes widen. He was the traitor. He lead the invasion Marc talked about.   
He reached for me and grabbed my face. He pulled me close to observe me. “You have you mother’s blue eyes.” I begin to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together.  
“You know my parents?”  
“Yes. I knew them for a while. Until I realized I played for the wrong side.” He sighed at looked at me again. “You haven’t trained your powers have you?” He let go and put his hand up. I didn’t dropped, I stayed in place, floating and I couldn’t move. “Where is it?”  
“What?” he slammed me into the wall with his telekinesis.  
“Don’t play dumb with me! Where is the mask?”  
“What mask?!” He looked at me for a while.  
“You don’t know?” He let go. “That uncle never told you?” I froze trying to think.   
“A lot of stuff he hasn’t told me.” I said.  
He laughed a lot. “Oh, this is better than I thought.” He dropped me to the ground.  
“This won’t be fun if you have no clue what’s going on.” He said as he was evaporating into smoke. “Happy training.” He left with a smile.  
I hurried back to my place. As of now, it wasn’t my choice. I have to learn to control my power. He killed my kind. He killed my parents. Whoever he is, I will kill him. I will avenge my parents. And he will pay…


	4. Homeschooling

I made it back to my Uncle’s. I went to his office and he was surprised to see me so soon. “What happened to you?” He said looking at my bruises.   
I was still in shock trying to figure out what to say. I gulped. “I was attacked. By the traitor.” My uncle just froze there.   
“How did he find us so quick?” he turned around to think.   
“He said he knew my dad.” Marc sighed and looked at me. “What will you do?”   
I knew what he meant. He wanted me to be the next aura guardian. “Yes” I want to know more.   
“Come on” Marc let me back to training room again. This time, he went to the armory. He took out a trunk and put it on the table and opened it. There was a dark green hoodie with beige lines running through the stitches. “Aura readers wore these.” Marc said holding it out. “Huh. Fits me perfectly” I said. Marc then pulled out a sword.   
“They use swords?” I asked  
“Yep” He said looking at it, he pressed a button and it collapsed   
“Wow.”  
“Yep. You can use your aura to activate it” He tossed it to me.   
“Use my aura?”  
“You’ll see. Come on, time to train” He went to the training ring. “Step inside.” I went inside and Marc pressed a button. The ring made a bright light surrounding me. A massive arena appeared filled with white and red. Tall flat buildings were everywhere. And some beams poking out. Over the speaker, I can hear Marc speak. “Well?” He was waiting for my approval.   
“Mehhh” I just wanted to screw with him.   
“Haha. Anyway, let’s begin with your aura bolts.”  
“Aura bolts?”  
“The standard attack for Aura readers. Focus your aura to your hand and shoot the targets” Targets appeared. I focused my aura to my hand and shot the targets. Somehow it can easy to me. “Good” Marc said. “Now, to use your force waves”   
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I can do a force push?” I said excited  
“Well no—“ he paused to think “Well. Sort. Of.” This time round beach balls appeared. “Ok ok.” I can hear marc turning pages in a book.  
“Marc, do you even know how to teach me?”  
“Of course I do! Just wait till I find the page. Ah! Here it is. Now focus some aura in both hands and put them together to unleash a blast” I’m beginning to think Marc might not be a good teacher. I did what he said, and did it. I summoned a force wave and pushed the balls.  
“Good, good. Now on to combat.”  
“Wait what?” People in armor appeared surrounding me and they pulled out weapons and were about to attack. “Uhh Marc maybe Im not ready for actual combat.”  
“Oh don’t worry. You can do it. Use your sword.” I took out my weapon and fought them off. One of them with a broadsword, swinged at me and we clashed swords. To break out of it, I launched myself to the side and the broad swordman missed and I stabbed him. When I did, he disappeared. For some reason, I got small headaches and looked back to see the men attacking. I managed to counter and defeat each one.  
“Told you you can do it.”  
“What were those small headaches I got?”  
“That’s your preflex. Aura readers can sense danger and where its coming from.” I realized that I got small headaches when someone tried to punch me from behind. I wish I knew that earlier. “Now to train your telekinesis”   
“Whoa! I get to carry stuff with my mind?”  
“Yes now then”  
“Hell yes.” I always wanted to do that.  
“Now instead of shooting or stabbing them, reach out with your aura to carry them” figures appeared again on some of the buildings. I reach out with aura and can feel the person’s aura. I lifted them up can throw them.  
“Good work” Marc said. I felt glad that I’m learning to use this power. 

I trained for about three hours. I learned to control my aura and powers. Marc says that with time I will learn new powers and ways to use them. I exited the ring. My eyes tried to get used to lights “Yea, that ring’s a killer on the eyes.” Marc joked. I chucked a little and look at my watched and remembered.   
“Oh shit! I forgot!” I ran to the evaluator.   
“Where you going?”  
“I have a date with Fate!”  
“Wait!” Marc tired to stop the evaluator but was too late. I don’t know what he was going to say, but I didn’t really pay attention. I ran out the door and headed to the temple. 

Usually, the police don’t want people near the temple. But at night is a good way to sneak in. The cops are usually asleep or eating donuts. As I ran there, I wondered if I should tell Fate. Then I remember what Marc said about aura reader’s being a secret because humanity isn’t ready for us. I didn’t want to tell her. She would get scared, think I’m a freak, or think I’m crazy. Most likely, she’ll think I’m crazy. I won’t tell her tonight. But when I learn more about my kind, maybe I’ll tell her. But really, it doesn’t involve her. And I don’t want it to.  
I went to entrance but I didn’t see her. I am early. I guess taking the rooftops is faster than I thought and with my powers, I guess it made it faster. I wasn’t even tired. Next thing I know, I feel someone jump on my back. I panicked and almost backed them against the wall. Until, they got out of the way just in time.   
“Whoa! It’s me!” Apparently, Fate thought it would be funny to scare the living hell out of me.  
“Well don’t scare me like that”  
“Can’t blame me for trying to be playful”  
“I thought you were a mugger”  
“Please, you have nothing worth stealing” I laughed nervously and glanced at my new blade. Hidden, so Fate couldn’t see it. I brought it in case the traitor came back. If he did, it can be an excuse to tell her about the aura readers.  
“So want to go in?” I hold out my arm. She wrapped her arm with mine and we went in. Most temples are dangerous. It could cave in at any moment or have traps. The workers never set off or found traps. And the place is stable enough for workers to go in. As we stepped inside, I felt some strange energy. The lines on the walls started to light up. Showing the glyphs more clearly. Fate was just in awe.   
“Wow.”  
“You’re not scared? This never happened before when you, Blake, and I came here”  
“You must have stepped on something” My powers never fully grown till now. The temple must have sensed me. The temples must be connected the aura readers too. This was their city after all.  
“This place is beautiful though”  
“Nothing compared to you” I have no idea why I said that. Fate just laughed.  
“Really? That was nice but come on. Try something that not a million guys have tried.”  
“So what do you want me to do?”  
“Something….. Something no one has done before.”  
“Like?”  
“I’ll let you figure that out”   
“You’re such a tease” She laughed.   
We walked into a room, with writing on the wall. It was the only one that wasn’t lighten up. For some reason, I knew what it meant. I broke up from Fate and walked to the wall.  
“What you doing?” I tired to figure out how say it without exposing the Aura readers and at the same time, trying to tell her  
“I don’t know but I feel like I know what it says”  
“Please” Fate walks to the other wall and admires it “Highly skilled translators haven’t been able to figure out what it means, so you can’t either”  
“Thank you, thank you very much.” I said sarcastically. I reached my hand to touch the wall and when I did, I can feel the energy being poured into me. Fate turned to me “Django!” she grabbed me and pulled me away from the wall. “You idiot, why did you do that?!”  
“I don’t know.” It showed me a vision. A hooded man came here, the same one from my dream, and written something on this wall. The wall then lightened up and writing got brighter. I took a picture of it so Marc can see it.  
“You ok?”  
“Yea, yea. I’m good”  
“No your not, come on we’re going home”  
“I said I was fine”  
“Django, I know you. You are a terrible liar.”   
When we got out I managed to walk again. We then saw a two police officers walking this way. “You there, hold it!”  
“Well, shit.”   
“First time, we got caught.” I said. “Let me handle this. Sorry officers, but—“  
My headache acted up again, about the same time these guys pulled out guns on us. I grabbed Fate and hid behind the wall in the temple.  
“The hell is happening!?” Fate yelled over the gun fire. “They are supposed to tell us our Miranda rights!”  
Marc said that Darkwatch had fronts… “Careful, that’s a reader we’re dealing with.”   
“Its about to be dead soon enough anyway.” The other guy said.  
They are from Darkwatch. They knew I was here and came to hunt me. Shit, that was what Marc wanted to tell me. That I could be followed.   
“The fuck are they talking about?” Fate asked.  
“I-I don’t know.” I said.  
“Django…”   
“What?”  
“You’re a bad liar.”   
“I really don’t know who they are!”   
Fate judged me for a good second. “Maybe I was wrong with that one. You did make that face.”  
“What face?”  
“Your tell, shh, one of them is approaching.”  
I tried to grab for my blade. I had a hell of a explanation to Fate, but here it goes. When the man got around the corner, I was ready to attack him, but Fate had the same idea. She tripped him and quickly over powered him. How did she manage that? She grabbed his gun. The other guy aimed for her but Fate took the other guy and used him as a human shield.   
“Of course the Guardian has a kickass girlfriend, let him go, girly.” He said.  
“You let us go, I know for a fact you guys aren’t cops.”   
“So you know too? That’s fine, all the better.”  
“Yea, I know you’re fake cops.” Fate said.  
“Dude, do something!” The hostage said.  
“I’m thinking.”  
I had to find a way to rid of him. I had my powers but what could I do? I only know a few bolts but Fate would know. Wait, I can try that same thing the traitor did on me; that telekinesis thing. I focused on the guy, tried to imagine him hitting his head. With a motion of my hand, he lifted in the air for a small while and dropped to the ground.   
The hostage Fate had elbows her in the gut. He was about to attack her until I pinned him against the wall. I got angry, my fist on my right got covered with my aura and I punched him hard in the crouch. That’s something he won’t recover from. Fate was on the ground when he elbowed her. I helped her up and we made a run for it with carrying her in my arms.   
“Well that was fun” Fate said teasing. “Being attacked by gangsters disguised as cops is a great first date.”  
“You’re present didn’t go as planned?” I said back, trying to make that uninvolved with me as possible.  
She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a kiss on the lips. “That’s your present.” She said smiling.   
“I-I…” I was speechless. I didn’t know how to follow that. I felt hot and Fate was blushing.   
“… Should get going before your uncle has the whole barn?” Fate finished for me.  
“I-I.., Yes.” I said.  
“Same with my mom. I’ll See you in school” I put her down and she managed to walk again.   
“Wait a second.” I gave her a quick kiss to counter with hers. “See ya tomorrow.” That left her in real awe.   
“Now that was unexpected.”  
“Expect it again tomorrow” She giggled and that left a smile on my face. 

As I got back home, I saw Uncle Marc stitting there. “You didn’t let me finish” He said sitting on the chair. I believe there’s a reference in this somewhere.   
“Marc, let me explain”  
“You finally had a date with Fate after 10 years?”  
“… Ok I think you have it all figure out.”  
“You better not have told her”  
“I didn’t tell her.”  
“Good, now where did you go? Did you….. you know” I think you know where he went with that.  
“Hell no! God, Marc. We went to the temple and explored” He gave me that ‘did you still do it?’ face.  
“No we didn’t”   
I told him about the lights and the writing and the men that attacked us and how I made a expert job at protecting Fate and she still didn’t know. “What happened in the temple?”  
“I saw a vision of a hooded man writing on the wall. I took a picture of it.” I handed him my phone with the picture on it. Marc then gets a book, opens it and writes something on a sheet of paper and read it.   
“’Ride the winds to the mountains, there you find the path that leads to the mask’”  
“What does that mean?”  
“There was something your father found in the temple. A mask. I don’t know what happened after he found it but he must have hidden it.”  
“The traitor said something about a mask”  
“Logan. His name is Logan.” He finally told me. Now I know the traitor’s name.  
“What do we do?”  
“We go to Breez.”  
“You sure? I kinda have a thing happening…”   
“You and Fate hooked up, didn’t you?”  
“How do you know these things?”  
“You’re a bad liar.” He said as he put his glasses down. “Now, just tell her that I have something we need to do for a few days. If you want, I’ll tell her mother.”  
“… Fine.”  
“And Blake too?” He asked before he put the number down on his phone.  
“… Don’t bother.”


	5. Village of Dragons

Marc prepared a helicopter to take us to the Village of Brez. A Village high in the mountains. Marc also called my school saying I won’t be able to go for some days. I hope Fate also got the message and didn’t take it the wrong way. “What did you tell them?” I asked.  
“That we’re going to see my dying dad.”  
“I thought granddad died years ago.”  
“Yea I know.” He said trying to hold something back.   
We went into the helicopter. Being the leader of the Zodian corps, Marc has connections. The trip took a while. I fell asleep when looking out the window. I dreamed of that moment with Logan again, his damn face never leaves my head.  
“We’re here” Marc said. I woke up to see Brez. It was along a cliff. The citizen’s were just walking to they’re jobs. It’s a small place. They were surprised to see a helicopter land on the helipad. We got out and a man greeted us. He was in beige hood with silver lining. Marc walked up to him   
“Hello, Marc” said the hooded man.  
“Hello.” Marc replied “What’s the status of Brez?”  
“Darkwatch raids are getting worse; we lost several teams two nights ago.”  
“Damn it, its getting worse. Listen, we need to get to the temple.” Marc told him.  
“Good luck, one of Darkwatch’s fronts put it under their control. No one goes in.” He said.   
“We need in somehow…” Marc said in thought.   
“We could discuss more at the base.”   
“Good idea.”  
As we walked throughout the village, the man introduced himself. “Sorry for no introductions. My name is Callen.” He held out his hand and I shook it. “Name’s—“  
“We know who and what you are Django.” He said.  
“Well at least there’s no beating around the bush.”  
Brez’s view was jawdropping. High up in the mountains where it’s like nothing can interrupt you. It is very cold up here too. The buildings look old fashion, yet people here manage to have their daily needs met through modern means.  
We made it to an old building and Marc pressed something against the wall and opened up into a stone warehouse-like building. There were other people, who I assume are in the Corps. We were escorted upstairs; to a room where in the center was a huge touchscreen. It reminded me of those holo-tables in science fiction. Where did they get the tech for this? Marc touched the table and a 3D map of the temple with marks of patrols surrounding the temple. “So far, a front for Darkwatch secured rights to ownership of the temple, as well as possibly the others.” It’s hard to imagine him as a leader. All is see him lead is one employee at a time.   
“Why do you need the temple now though?” Callen asked  
“Because they went through so much trouble to get it, there has to be a reason why.”   
“All this trouble for a lousy temple?”   
“You know very well that the readers left things in their cities. We found something in Ace City and it lead us here.”  
“What thing?”  
“A riddle, it tells of a mask and we know Logan is looking for it.”  
“The leader of the Darkwatch finally showed his face?”  
“Yes, and he thinks that we know where the mask is.”   
“So the temples have something to do with this thing.”  
“Yes, Callen, and we need a way in.”  
“Well, Marc, as you can see, we’re very short on men. Darkwatch keeps growing. They are better funded and better equipped than we are.”  
“Which is why I brought Django.” Marc gestured to me, everyone in the room now looking at me.  
“You mean he’s…?”  
“Yes.”  
“So he can.”  
“He just started; he needs to learn how to control it.”  
“You know I’m in the room too, right?” I said slightly raising my voice.   
“We know. It’s just hard to believe that we might have a edge on them, finally.” Callen said  
“An edge? Why does me being here count as an edge?”  
“You are the only reader in existence, that doesn’t include Logan. And personally, I don’t count him as a reader to start with. We need the fire power.”  
I give these guys hope? Is that what he’s saying? My existence gives them the courage to believe they won?  
“I think I have a plan,” Marc announced. “We’ll use the dead of night as a cover. Take out the two guards and have two others deal with the snipers on the roofs.”  
“Ah, my playground.” Callen commented.  
“Doesn’t seem like a hard plan, Uncle, I don’t know why your so worried.”  
“Because these patrols worry me. This is all we were able to get. For all we know, there are more people than expected inside.”  
“We’ll have to go with flow, Marc. We can’t plan everything ahead of time.” Callen tried to comfort him.  
Marc sat up from the table. “Callen, get the people nasseccary for the mission. You and someone else will take care of the rooftop patrols.”  
“Got it, sir.” Callen saluted him and left the room.  
“You and I are the ones going in.” Marc told me.  
“Wait, I’m a part of this?” I asked.  
“Sorry if I haven’t told you, I just thought of it. But I need you to come with me and cover me.”  
“But I am not ready for a covert thing!” I objected to the plan.  
“Django.” Marc put his hand on my shoulder. “I need you to get ready, and this is the best way to prepare you.”  
“… Fine…” I said to him.

The village is the darkest place in the world at night. The only light source is the houses, the stars and moon, and the science lab that is at the top of the mountain. Through a pair of infrared binoculars, I looked for Callen and members of his team. I find them and they take out the snipers and give the all clear.   
“How do we take out the guards?” I asked Marc.   
“Time to test another power of yours.”  
“Another power?”  
“The mindlink. Allows you to look through the memories of a person and the ability to kill them from the inside or knock them dead.”   
“Way to tell me about this now.” I told him.   
“Didn’t have time, now try it.”   
I got up and plotted my path to the temple. I ran across the buildings, trying to be as quiet as I can be. I jumped on the temple with the two guards below me. Focusing my aura in my hands, watching the energy play with each other, I jump down and grab the two guards’ heads on my way down, their faces hit the ground and both of their memories flow my mind. Memories of some kind of boot camp and meeting with Darkwatch. I let go from them and they are outcold. Marc comes out from where he was hiding and joins me.   
“Good, let’s get going.” He said. The inside of the temple is the same style as the one in Ace city. “Just walls, walls, and more walls.” Marc joked.   
“It has to be here.” I said. We went into a room. It had lines and drawing. Marc looked at them. “Hmmm. This tells the story of how Brez was built.”  
“What does it say?”  
“The readers had to take materials from the base of the mountain and carry it here.” I saw some writing. Much like from the Ace city temple. It was faded like before. I touched the wall and I felt some energy being absorbed into me.   
“Django!” Marc ran over. And was about to pull me out. I told him to stop “Wait! I feel power from the place!” I started to get visions of a man creating an energy field around him and release it on a group of enemies surrounding him. And I saw the same name firing beams like I do but it looked different. Like it was the wind itself. The flow of energy stopped along with the walls. “Are you ok, Django?”   
“I’m fine.” I get up and I see the wall filled with green energy, revealing another riddle. Marc gets up and studies it. “From the city in the skies to the city of the sea….”  
“What’s that suppose to mean?” I wondered.  
“It’s talking about the city of Galen” Marc said. He turned to me, “We have to get out.” Marc looked back to the entrance and tackled me to the ground at the sound o a shotgun blast.  
“You’re not going anywhere, reader!” Yelled a Darkwatch guard with heavy armor.  
Marc gets up and fires back with a pistol. The guard just shrugs it off and prepares to fire again. By complete reaction, I gather a different energy, wind, and blast it at him; knocking him off balance. “Wind…?” Marc noticed. “Django, again!” I fire the aura bolts Marc taught me, each impacting his body at such speed. I run towards the guard, all while firing at him, when I get close enough, I take my blade and slash him up the chest and through the neck. “We have to go!” Marc said as he led the way out. “You just learned wind. But how?”  
“I just… did it.”  
“Ha! Your reader blood came in when we needed it.”  
“I doubt it was that, uncle.” 

We escaped the temple and headed back to the headquarters. The mission went off with a success. “Ok, our next stop is Galen.”   
“We’re not heading home?” I asked.  
“No, not until we find this mask.”  
“Uncle, that could take forever.”  
“Doesn’t matter, we need to find it before Logan does.”   
“… Fine.” Trying to get Marc to go where you want to go is near damn impossible. Before we left, he gave me another hood. It was white with blue lining and the back panels were longer and a new weapon to try out, which was a collapsible spear. We went in the helicopter and headed for our next destination. As I got on the helicopter, I turned around to see the observatory. I thought I saw something white and green falling down towards it. I rubbed my eyes to adjust their view, and nothing was there.


	6. Avenging Kin

_You think you know what you’re doing. You think what you doing, will avenge your people, avenge your parents. But in reality, it’ll do nothing. You’re one man. One kid. What hope do you have to defeat me? I can still give you the answers. Your uncle is still hiding secrets from you. You can’t trust him. Join me. And you will have all the power to get back to those who tortured you…_  
I woke up from that nightmare. I saw his face. Logan’s. He was talking to me. I didn’t want to believe it. But… Some of what he said was true. Uncle is hiding more than I think he is. Is he not telling me this cause he’s trying to protect me? Or he fears me? He glances toward me. “You ok?”  
“Why wouldn’t I be?”  
“Well you look tired. You need your strength for when we get there. Callen needs our help.” I remember Callen from Brez. “How much farther?”  
“There it is” I could see it over the horizon. Galen. Located off the coast of Florida, its famous for it’s beaches, and fairs. It was the place for a vacation. Plus you constantly get that nice sea breeze. Out of all the aura reader cities, this one’s my favorite. But every great place has something bad to counteract it. There are gangsters everywhere. And if a cute girl goes anywhere by herself, she would get attacked by the gangs. Here, the Zodian corps has more members than the other cities.   
We landed on the helipad. As we got out I could see the ocean and the beaches. But somewhere in this mask are gangs that threaten the lives of the people here. And now I have the power I can save them. “Hello, sir” I snap out of my gaze, and look back to Marc. Another Zodian corps member came to welcome us.   
“It’s about time you made it here. We’ve been having problems with Darkwatch. And to top it off, the local gangs are giving us a hard time. We’re getting our asses kicked” The man said. He sounded both stressed and nervous  
“How’s that one mission going?”  
“Good so far. But it’s getting hard to track them.”  
“Good.” Marc finished. I wanted to know what happened to Callen  
“Do you know of an Agent Callen?” I spoke. The agent looked at me. I could sense he didn’t expect me to speak. He pulled Marc aside and whispered.  
“I’m guessing this is your Nephew?”  
“Yes. We need to get into the temple.”  
“Well, we have a problem with that.” He said itching his neck. He’s nervous and rather not tell Marc about the temple. “We….. lost control of the temple.”  
“What!?”  
“The gangs are starting to get interested in the temple. Now they’re fighting for it. We couldn’t keep it any longer”  
“Crap! This is going to be bad.” Marc said. He turned to me. “This will change a lot of things”  
“You haven’t answered my question about Callen” I said  
“I’m not allowed to tell you about that.” Said the man.  
“Tell me then.” Said Marc  
“But sir….” Marc gave him the ‘I don’t care’ look “Fine. He’s currently spying on the drug deal. Which should take us to one of the gangs that are allied with Darkwatch.”  
“Should?” I said  
“These gangs are hard to track. They blend with the crowd. We can’t keep an eye on them without people in the way.” The man answered. Marc turned to me and had his ‘I have an idea’ face.   
“Have Django track them.” He said.   
“What!?” both me and the man said.  
“Marc I can’t track them. What makes you think I can!?” I argued.  
“Django, your Aura Sense can track them.”  
“Aura Sense?” I asked. I should get used to it. Marc does apparently know more than I think he does.   
“Your kind has a ‘sixth sense’ they can see people’s auras. You can mark the gangster and track them to their base.”  
“I don’t know how to use it.”  
“Focus your energy to your eyes. And they will change shape.” I try to focus my aura to my eyes and I got it. I could see the world in a different way. Literally. It looks gray. But I can see Marc’s and the man’s aura. Each with different colors. I need to know what the colors stand for. “Looks like you got it.”  
“How can you tell?” He stared at my eyes. I didn’t know at the time but my eyes turn yellow with the pupils look like the aura reader star.   
“… just a guess.”  
“I’ll tell command. Good luck, Sir” The man walked away.   
“Ugh. I didn’t expect this outcome.”  
“What’s the plan now?”  
“With the gangs fighting for the temple, it’ll be hard to get in. We can’t go in full force.”  
“But how do we get in? The entrance is the only way in.”  
“We have to take out the Tempest leader.”  
“Tempest?”  
“One of the gangs. If we take out the leader and their source of command, we could take out their entire operation.”  
“But finding it is the hard part isn’t it?”  
“It was until now” He looked at me. Very sure that I can complete the mission. I wasn’t sure of myself that I can complete. “Ok enough of the eyes, its kinda scary.” I revert my vision to normal. “Come on. Let’s head to Command”

We went to Command. Which looks like an old building. But on the inside was a whole set up for a place like the CSI. I was impressed. I saw Callen in one of the offices getting ready. When he saw me, he was surprised. “Django! So good to see you again” He shakes my hand.  
“Likewise.”  
“You got want you needed at the temple?”  
“If I get in a fight, You’ll see it.”  
“Hopefully I will.” He went back to getting ready. ”So I hear you’re here to get to the temple of water?”  
“Yep. But we have a problem with that”  
“I know. The gangs are fighting and guarding it.”  
“But if we take out Tempest’s leader, we’re golden” I explained. Callen thought I was crazy.  
“Are you crazy!? Tempest is the gang that’s controlling the temple at the moment. They are everywhere. And do you know how well protected they are?”  
“But they never faced an aura reader.” With my powers, they would be taken out fast.  
“But there is strength in numbers. And not to mention you barely know how to control your powers.” Callen’s right. I may be powerful, but I barely know how to control my powers. I barely was able to defeat five guards at Brez  
“I’ll find a way.”  
“You don’t have the experience to be part of this mission. And why the hell wasn’t I informed of this?” Marc and the leader came out of the office to say something.  
“Attention Zodian Corps. The chairman’s nephew, Django hunter, the Aura guardian will be joining us on the mission to track Tempest to their hideout.” The Director said. I looked at Callen.  
“Well, now your informed” He gave me a smug looked. Must have liked my joke.  
“Funny. But this is serious, Django. I’ll try to train you to so you won’t screw up.”  
“Relax, I have a plan. I’ll follow from the rooftops. No one looks up.”  
“We already tried that. Some how, we still lose them.”  
“But you guys don’t have a sixth sense.” Callen took a deep breath.  
“Ok, but don’t mess up. You have no idea how much I need this. Meet me at the spot.” He went to the armory. I sensed anger from him. Tempest must have done something to him. I don’t know. But its his past. If he wants to tell me, I’ll let him.

I went to the meeting spot. I picked a spot from the building where they can’t see me. Even if they look my way, the sun would get in their eyes. And Callen said I didn’t know what I was doing. I looked for the gang members. But its hard to see. So I used my Aura Sense. I could see an aura field walking across the street. It was him alright. He had the clothes and everything. His pants were even down. Total gangster.  
“I spot him.” I told Callen over the radio.  
“You sure?” he responded  
“Is the sun hot?”  
“I’ll take that as a yes. Don’t lose him” Callen and a tech crew were in a van. Looking at everything and recording. Hoping to get something relating to the hideout. If you ask me, its too obvious. A black van? Everyone seen a crime drama, they know what to expect.  
I use my aura sense to tag him. They seem to be talking about something. Luckly, I can hear what they are saying with the technology in the van.   
“You got the stuff?”  
“Yea. Don’t screw up, man! Cops are everywhere.”  
“I know what I’m doing” They split up.   
“Keep an eye on the one with the drugs.” Callen told me. I kept my eye on him. He walked slowly, trying not to cause suspension. “Don’t lose him, He’s going into the crowd”  
I follow. I use the electric wires connecting to the buildings to get across. They do this as a way to get the buildings to get power. To avoid telephone wires cause they tend to get in the way.  
I run across the wires trying not to get his attention. I can still see him. He seemed paranoid. Probably had too much coke. He weaved in and out of the crowd, “Damn it, We lost him!” Callen said.  
“Don’t worry I still got him.” As I said that, Callen seem relieved.  
“Finally. Hm. Six minutes. New record.” Callen said. The druggie headed for an ally way.  
“He’s going into the ally way and heading towards the center of the city.” I told Callen.  
“That’s where most gangs are. If we go there, we might be attacked.”  
“I’ll continue to follow him.” I’ll let you know on the location when I find it.”  
“Don’t lose him, Django” I continued to follow him. He started to run. Probably because of the lack of crowds. He didn’t see me. He headed to a warehouse and I got on the roof to spy in the place. It was crawling with gangsters. This is the place. I radio Callen for the location.   
“Callen. I found it.”  
“Yes! Thank you Django! You don’t know how much this means to us. And me.” Callen thanked me. I looked in the warehouse. I see the messager I chased talking with the leader. He was a big stuff guy. He was wearing armor made out stuff found on the streets. Now that’s gangster. The place wasn’t very sound proof. I could hear them perfectly.  
“You made sure you weren’t followed?”  
“Yes sir. But come on. We lose the cops every time. One of their vans were out there spying on the deal. What an idiot. I managed to give him the slip.”  
“You positive?”  
“Yes. “  
“Then why is one of their spies here eavesdropping on us?” I was shocked. How’s he see me? He took out a grenade launcher and fired near where I was standing. The roof collapsed and I fell inside.   
Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by Tempest guys with guns. I sent Callen my location. Hope he gets here in time. The leader came up to me. He turned to the messager. He reloaded his launcher. “you said you weren’t followed.”  
“Sir, I didn’t know. How was I suppose to know he followed me?” He sounded scared. “Please forgive me.” He bowed down to him. The leader talks up to him.  
“Kid. No need to apologize.” The messager gave a sign of relieve but in that moment. The leader took out his knife and stabbed him. “Your failure to keep this place secret will cost us. Your life will maybe pay for it.” I was shocked at what just happened. Now can he kill him?  
“What the hell did you just do!?” I yelled  
“He made a mistake. It was a deadly one.”  
“How can you just kill him? It was one mistake.”  
“We. Don’t make mistakes. We know a lot about you. Django Hunter.” I was shocked that he knew my name. “Logan told us about you” my eyes widen. “He told us to deal with you.” He took out his pistol. “And we shall.”  
I wasn’t going to die here. He knows Logan. And I have to find out more. I stored energy in my body, getting ready to use my newest power. The aura repulse. I released an energy field that blew the other guys away. Even the leader was blown away. As I got back up. He did too. And I stared him down. He turned around and said “deal with him.” The other member began firing, I rolled to a nearby box and ducked behind it. I shot some aura bolts at them and hit a lot of them. I saw the leader was escaping. I had to chase him. I dashed out and threw a bio grenade into a group and blew them up. I took out my staff that Marc gave me in Brez. And stabbed the nearest man, the next man was coming at me so I slashed him and use an aura push on him and I swiped another guys legs and he came crashing down.  
The leader was escaping. I chased after him. He ran toward the ally ways. I got up to the roofs and chased after him. He ran into a dark ally. There was a roof over it so I had to jump down and confront him. I couldn’t see him.   
“Your everything Logan said you be.” I couldn’t detect his voice  
“How do you know Logan?”   
“That’s for you to find out on your own. He has many connections.” I used aura sense to find him. He was hiding by the dumpster. He was about to take out his pistol but I used my aura grip and threw the dumpster into him. And he got squeezed.   
“Ughhh! I’m not telling you anything!” I squeezed the dumpster on him more. Out of pain, he dropped his pistol.  
“You don’t have to.” I reached for his head. I used the mind link and connected with his mind. I saw everything he did. He killed many people. To his own members who failed to innocent people. But I saw a girl. He raped her and killed her. And then a man broke into the room and found them. That man was Callen.  
I then found his meeting with Logan.  
“Be prepared. He will come.”  
“What do you want us to do?”  
“Test him. Take him out” That was it. I knocked him out cold.   
“Django! Where are you?” Callen called  
“I got the leader. I used the mind link. He’s out cold. I’ll sent you my location. You can come and take him away.”   
“Thank you, Django. Thank you.”


	7. Water can save and kill

A couple of days later, the Tempest leader was arrested. We’re not a crime division so we can’t ‘officially’ arrest him. So we silently sent him to the police department. We left him right outside. They will deal with him. Callen seem less tense than two days ago. I walked up to him and he saw me. “Thank you for your help, Django.” He managed to get out.  
“You’re welcome. Maybe now the water temple will be easier to get in.”  
“Maybe. But Darkwatch are guarding it. But it might be easier to brake in. Well. Maybe for you.” He patted my shoulder and sat at his desk.   
“Callen, when I used the mind link on the leader, I saw a girl raped and killed.” Callen froze there. As though he knew what I was talking about. I think crossed into uncharted territory. Callen looked up to me.  
“I kinda figured you would figure it out.”  
“Mind filling me in on that? If you don’t want to tell me that’s fine.” I tried not to get on his bad side.  
“No. Its ok. She was my sister. We used to work together.” He tried to get the words out. “She was undercover. He wanted her. So he….. did what he wanted and killed her when he was done.” He sounded angry. And he clenched his fists. “But prison doesn’t seem enough. He’s tough and he’ll survive. I want that man dead.”  
“As much as he deserved it, it won’t help. It won’t bring her back. The good thing is that he’s put away for good. He’s sentenced for life and his gang is falling apart. He’s doomed.”  
“I know. Thank you, Django.” He held up his fist. He wanted me to do a fist bump. So I bump his fist.   
Out of nowhere, a agent came over to us. “The chairman wants you two at the ops center.” He then walked away. Me and Callen went upstairs. The ops center is where they organize missions. Its very high tech. When we walked in, Marc and the Director were at the center table. They were about to discuss today’s mission with me getting into the temple. “Ross, brief the guardian would you?”  
“Yes sir. With the arrest of the Tempest leader, or Brain.” I’m guessing that’s the leader’s name. “his entire operation began falling apart. Other members of other bases are being arrested and take to prison as we speak. So are their competition.” If your going down, minus well take your enemies down with you I guess. “With that in mind, The temple’s control is getting smaller and smaller. With leaving the Darkwatch guarding it.”   
“That doesn’t seem bad, I can get in by myself.” I said.  
“Not really.” Said Ross. “There are guards everywhere inside. They are trying to find something” Me and Marc know what.  
“They’re trying to find the next riddle” Marc said.  
“Riddle?” Said the director  
“At Ace city and Brez. There was an riddle when Django touched the walls. They revealed a riddle in the aura reader languish.” Marc looked at me wanting me to finish.   
“Uh. Right. The one in Ace city lead us to Brez. And that lead us here.” I tried to tell them  
“Why were you at the temple in Ace city?” the director asked. I didn’t want to tell him Fate took me there for our date.  
“Just exploring” I told him. Technically, I was right. We were exploring.  
“Well The temple is has one big room and has a hallway that goes around.” Said Ross. “Guards guard the entrance and the center room. While more patrol the hallway. Basically, Get in the room, get new powers, get the riddle, and get out.”  
“Sounds like a plan.” I said.  
“We’ll start tonight when their guards will be tired and less aware.”   
After the meeting, I remembered about Fate. Throughout this whole thing, I forgot about her. God, she’ll be so pissed at me when I get back. I forgot to tell her where I was going. She probably thinks I stood her up. Just great.

That night, I was in position. Two guards were at the entrance. The only thing going through my mind is how pissed Fate must be at me. I had to focus on the mission.  
“Everyone ready?” Callen said.  
“Guardian ready.” I said  
“Sniper 1 ready.” Marc said. “team 1, you ready to go?”  
“We’re ready. On your mark, Marc.” Team 1 said. I chuckled to that.   
“Django, whats so funny?” Marc asked me  
“’on your mark, Marc’” I chuckled more. The others didn’t laugh. “jeeze tough room. Just trying to ease the stress.”  
“Is everyone ready?” Marc said to confirm. We all said we were. “Me and sniper 2 and aiming for the guards. Get ready to move in.” Marc and another sniper took out the two guards. Me and Callen who was in charge of the team went in.   
“Guarding team, Guard the entrance.” Callen said. “Guardian and Team 2 come with me.” We went in. There were guards at the center of the room. They didn’t see us. They were facing shrine. Callen and team 1 were about to fire but I stopped them.   
“let me.” I whispered. I silently went up to the two guards. As I went up, the team was waiting at the entrance to the room and the guards were talking about something.  
“So what are we suppose to be guarding?”  
“Didn’t you get the memo? We’re finding the riddle in this weird place.”  
“All I see are drawings. Not even good ones. The aura readers need art lessons.” I grabbed their heads and used the mind-link. I knocked them out cold and the team went in. Callen ordered the team to split and guard the hallway doors. And kill any Darkwatch that came in. I looked at the shrine and touched it.  
The whole place light up and the energy got absorbed into me. I feel a much more energy rush than the last two. I saw a vision of a man reading the wind to guide across building to building and of a man throwing a sword and using the aura grip to guide the sword through the air and striking multiple enemies. And sword coming back to him.   
The visions energy rush end. And the walls light up with another riddle. “So that’s what happens when you touch the shrines?”  
“Yeah. Feels like a sugar rush.” Callen helps me up. However that attracted attention. Before the guards can enter, the team guarding the doorways killed them before they can fire.   
“Take a picture of the riddle and lets get out of here!” I take out my phone and take a picture of the riddle on the walls.  
“Sir! We’re detecting enemy movement heading this way!”  
“Alert the entrance team!” Callen ordered. “Got the pictures?”   
“Yea, I sent them to ops. Let blow this taco stand”  
As we got out, the entrance team and Darkwatch were fight outside. We’re gunned down. Marc and the other sniper are sniping out Darkwatch one by one. They catch on to the snipers and some try to fire at them.   
“Please tell me your new power can help us here.” Callen asked  
“I’ll let you know in a minute.” I took out my staff.  
“Nice. Bring a staff to a gun fight.”  
“I know what I’m doing.” I throw my staff and use my new power: Sword throw and hit some soldiers. The staff comes back to me and some guys were impressed.  
“Nice move. But it won’t win this fight.”  
“I’m working on it.” I decided to use my new element. I collected water from the air, and threw an grenade to a group of soldiers. The ones caught in the blast were frozen.  
“What the hell was that!?” Callen said  
“New element.”  
“Cool.” Callen said. I chuckled “What?”  
“Its ice.” As I said that Callen got it. Darkwatch numbers were reducing. I jumped out and took out my staff. Thanks to my Preflx, I used my staff to block the bullets. I threw another ice grenade at two groups and stabbed the nearest man, and slashed the other and used aura push on the other man. We were wining this fight. After a few beatings, Darkwatch were retreating. We won. 

Back at ops, Marc and the tech team were studying the riddle. Trying to both translate and solve it. I was downstairs pacing back and forth, waiting for them to finish.   
“Can you be anymore impatient?” Callen asked.  
“I’m never patient.” I said.  
“Patience is the key to becoming a good agent. But you’re a teenager. You’ll outgrow it.”  
“Logan is still out there. Planning god knows what. I don’t have time to be patient.”  
“Django, didn’t you tell me killing Brian will get me nowhere? “  
“I did. But a prison won’t hold a Dark Reader.” What Callen said was true. I felt like a hypocrite.  
Marc came down with a box. “we cracked it.” He told us.  
“What does it say?”  
“’From the village in the skies, to the city in the water, to the village of the earth. Reberth.’ Rebirth is spelled with a ‘e’ than a ‘I’.”  
“That sounds familiar.” Callen said.  
“It’s the village of Berth.”  
“Berth?” I asked   
“Didn’t you study the cities in your classes?” Marc asked  
“No, because remember that time when you needed me to deliver a package late at night? Cause no one else was open”  
“You fell asleep in class didn’t you?”  
“Yep.” I said. Marc sighed  
“Berth is a village in Africa.”  
“Africa!?” I yelled “all the way there?”  
“Yep. They never had contact with the outside world. But they respect the Aura readers every much. When we discovered the cities, they refused to let outsiders into their village.”  
“Will that be a problem?”  
“Not really. If they see the Aura Guardian.” Marc explained. “Here. I have something to give you.” Marc took out the box and opened it. He took out a dark green hood with gold seems. The back panels seem to look like longer than the one I have now. And it appears to have short front panels. I took off my hood and put that on.   
“What’s with the hoods?”   
“The hood’s colors represent an element. This one represents earth. And the panels mean your ranking up in the Aura Reader ranks.”  
“Whatever it means, I like it.”  
“And here.” Marc handed me a new weapon: a great sword. Well. Not like giant swords. Its smaller in size so I can carry it better. I put it on my sling pack and it fits perfectly. “Earth readers are know for their heavy weapons.”   
“I like it.” 

After we said good bye to the Zodian corps here in Galen, We head back to the helipad. We got in the helicopter and head for our next place: The village of Berth.


	8. You are not alone

I had another dream as I was sleeping on the helicopter ride. I could make it out. But I saw the same hooded man I saw the day before my birthday. Someone was asking him if he was ready. He agreed. I’m not sure if it was a random dream or a vision. I don’t know. I’ll figure it out later.   
I woke up and I saw the ocean. But I saw a city in the distance. Berth was in Africa and from we were at before, there should be no cities here. As I got closer, I realized it was Ace city.  
“Wait. Ace city? Why we’re back here? I thought we we’re heading to Berth” I asked Uncle Marc  
“Two reasons: 1) I have to deal with something here first. 2) There’s a celebration at your school.”  
“Celebration?” How come I wasn’t told of this?  
“The prep rally? Your school verses the one in Furno?” Marc reminded me. I always hated prep rallies. The only reason I go to them was to miss class. I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason anybody goes to them. But that wasn’t why I was still excited, it’s seeing Fate again. “Anyway, once we’re done here, we’ll head to Berth.”  
“Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“You were out. And it wasn’t important till now.” I remember what Logan told me in my vision last time.  
“Marc, are you keeping more than what I know from me?”  
“What? Of course not!”  
“Well why aren’t you telling me anything? I feel like your hiding some master plan.”  
“Django. I’m not hiding anything from you. Its just….. Your dad trusted me to tell you everything he told me. Its so much, I’m trying to figure out how and when to tell you” He said. “I’m your uncle. Trust me. And you’re right. I need to inform you on what we’re going to do.”  
“Then why are we back?” Marc rubs his forehead  
“Darkwatch’s activity have increased while we were gone. I need to get some agents to take back some positions”  
“What can I do?”  
“No. Your going to that prep rally.”  
“But with me, we can kick their asses”  
“Django” Marc stopped me quickly “I never wanted to you to have this life. I wanted to have as normal life as possible.” He looked at me in the eyes. I knew what he meant.  
“Ok. I’ll go. But if you need me, I’ll come.”  
“Deal” 

As we got out of the helicopter, I breathed in the air from my home. So good to be back. I turn around and I see another Zodian corps agent running toward Marc. He stopped to catch his breath. Looks like he was running for miles.  
“Sir! Thank you for coming back!” The agent addressed my uncle.  
“What’s our status?”  
“Darkwatch keep coming back. We kick them out and they come back. We need to get rid of them for good.”  
“Ok good. Django.” Marc turned to me “I’ll be gone for a while. After the prep rally go to miracle mile at Tri Theater.”  
“That old acting theater? Why?”  
“Its actually a front for the Zodian Corps.”  
“We use a theater as a mask for the Zodian corps?” I chuckled a little.  
“Some missions need true acting. I’ll see you later.”

I headed for my school. Luckily, they let me in. I brought a sword just in case. They thought it was a fancy pen. It’s funny through. They never questioned the hood. I just have to keep it down. The prep rally was starting. It was outside in the outdoor lunch area. There was the band club on stage performing, cheering for the team. When you think of this, you’d think of a marching band, but no. It was an actual rock band.  
I was looking for Fate in the crowd. But I couldn’t see her. I tried using my aura sense. But I couldn’t find her. She wasn’t there.   
“Hello, Django” I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned and it was Blake.  
“Hey, man.”  
“Don’t you dare ‘hey, man’ me” He sounded angry. I didn’t need my aura sense to know that.  
“Whoa, man. Why so pissed?”  
“Because of you, Fate and I broke up, you took her out on a date, and leave the next day. What? Me not having her wasn’t enough, so you dumped her heart?”  
“Whoa man! I didn’t break her heart”  
“That’s not what it looks like!”  
“She’s been sad for weeks! Because you weren’t around!”  
“I was with my uncle on his arrants. I couldn’t call her to tell her” I tried not to reveal my secret.  
“Bullcrap”  
“Really? If I’m lying, why am I back?”   
“Cause you feel guilty?”  
“Blake, you don’t know what I just went through these past weeks. I want to see fate now. Where is she?”  
“…. I don’t know. She didn’t come today.” I walked away. I was going to go to her house. But Blake grabbed my arm and stopped me. “Where do you think your going?”  
“What now!?”  
“I still want to smash your head because what you done. You think I forgive you? No. I haven’t”  
“I’m sorry, Blake but to be honest, you didn’t deserve her and I’m not going to fight you over Fate. Besides, I’ve learned some new stuff while I was away.”  
“I don’t care, I’ll pound your head to the pavement.” I was about to tell him off but something stopped me. I could hear a voice in my head. It was Logan.  
“Django… I wasn’t excepting this when you came back”   
“what… Where are you? How did you know I was here?”  
“Django... We’re connected. I always know where you are. And I’m here to give you a welcome back present.”  
“what?”  
“turn around and look up”  
There. I saw him. He was standing on the roof of the school. The band stopped playing and looked at him. Everyone was silent. A lot of people were mumbling. Asking ‘what is going on. Who was that guy? Is he going to jump?’  
“Hello, Django.” He said. Everyone looked at me.   
“Hey dude! We were having a Conversion! Buzz off!” Blake Yelled., He hates it when someone interrupts him.  
“Don’t talk to me like that, Blake”  
“How do you know my name?” In that moment, Logan lifted his hand and Blake starting floating. He was using his aura grip. And he threw him to the side. Everyone gasped. All panicking.  
“I have something to talk about with Django. Something more important.” Logan said.  
“Look, you bastard! I hate to be interrupted!” Logan teleported. I don’t know how but he teleported in front of Blake. And used a aura push and pushed him away.  
”Respect your elders, child.” Everyone, including Blake was frozen in fear. Logan walked up to me. What is he doing? He’s exposing us. The school camera crew was here recording the band and they are now recording us.   
“Django.” Logan said. “You look so powerful after you went to two of the cities. And killed half my men.” As he said that, everyone was starring at me. I started to hear more mumbling.   
“What the hell are you doing, Logan?” I finally said.  
“Oh. To sent the world a message. To let them know of our existence.” Everyone was mumbling again. All confused. Logan walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders. “And to warn them of the battle that will take place. Not just here but the world. A battle that they will not survive.” What the hell is he talking about? He them put his hand on my forehead. He sent a energy surge to me. I could see what he saw. I saw the city in under attack. By some army. Soldiers forcing people to do whatever they say.   
He let go and I lost my balance almost.   
“What the hell was that!?” I yelled  
“A vision of what’s to come.”  
“Quit the riddles, about a week ago, you attacked me asking for a mask. And now you show me this!?”  
“It’s to warn both you and the world.” He pointed to the students. Blake just looked dumbfounded.  
“You understand what’s happening to me, Django.”  
“I know you killed my parents” Everyone seemed shocked. I figured I could turn the tables on him.  
“I can’t tell you what’s happening to me. But you must be ready. Men!” Two Slasher members appeared on the rooftops. They had the some robes as Logan. “Do it.” I saw them controlling the earth under my feet. They were dark readers. I thought they were gone accounting to Marc. “These men, I created myself. Be ready, Django.” He disappeared. The dark readers created a golem made of earth. And hopped inside of it. The other jumped down from the roof and controlled the air around him to land and pulled out a spear.   
“Blake! Get everyone out!” Everyone panicked and started running away. The one with the spear charged at me. And attacked me. I blocked his attacks. But he used the wind push to push me back. The golem opened its fists and shot a rocks at me like a mini gun. And no, I’m not making this up. I read the water from the nearby canal and turned into ice and used it as a shield. As this was happening, The one with the spear appeared to my side and swing his spear , creating a wave of air and pushing me into the open. The golem stopped firing and shot a rock missile at me. I fired an ice beam at the missile and it froze in place. I threw some ice grenades at the golem and it starting to become immobilized.   
But the spear guy attacked again. We locked swords. He then overpowered me. Knocking me down. The golem thawed and walked its way to me. I saw Blake watching everything. Frozen in place. Didn’t know what to do. The spear guy pointed his spear at me. He was about to finish me. “I guess he’s not ready.” He said. I thought it was the end.   
But next thing I know, a missile from a RPG fired and hits the golem. He tries to get back to his feet. The spear guy was shocked. We looked up and I saw Callen and the Zodian Corps. “Stay away from our friend!” Callen shouted.   
“Callen?” I said.  
“You didn’t think we let you have the fun?” He said. He look at a sniper. “Aim! Fire!” The sniper fired a few shots, but the spear guy fired an air missile and they got hit.   
“No!” I yelled. I threw two ice grenades at him and he was half frozen. I used the mind-link. I saw him at Logan’s feet. He created a tower of black aura around the two and created what I saw today. When I was done, he said “Thank you.” And he was dead.  
The golem got back up and fired its mini gun hand again. I got behind a column and hoped it hold. When it stopped to cool down, I peaked out and looked for a weak spot. I saw a hole revealing the guy’s head. I fired an ice beam at it and he was stunned. I ran up, jumped on him and read the water into the hole and froze it. Leaving him frozen. I jumped down and used the ice to remove the earth that was covering him. I melt the ice that surrounded his head and used the mind-link. I saw the same thing but I saw something else. “The girl is being taken as we speak. She’ll be at the station shortly.”  
“Good. Django will go to her and rescue her. Then all will be set.” As the mind-link ended I knew what he meant. They kidnapped Fate.  
When the battle ended, I looked up to guys on the roof. “You guys alright!?” I shouted. Callen got up. “Don’t worry, dude! We’re good. I have to take the wounded back to base! Meet up with you shortly” Callen took the others and left as fast as they came. I don’t know how they did that, but I want to learn how. I was about to leave when Blake came up to me and stopped me, still pissed, “What the hell was that!?”  
“That was what I was dealing with.”  
“You have to be kidding…” He backed away. “What are you?”  
“Blake, I’m still the same guy you knew for years.”  
“How do I know that you’re not like them?”  
“Blake, I’ll never become them. I won’t.”  
“That’s not how I see it. You’re a monster.”  
“No, I’m not. If I was, I would have killed you long ago.”  
“How do I know you won’t now?” He punched me.  
“What was that!?”  
“I’m not letting a monster like you live”  
“Blake you don’t understand”  
“Really? Cause I understand everything”  
“Blake, Stop. I’m warning you!”  
“All talk, no bite!” He was about to punch me again. But I stopped him by using firing an aura bolt at him. He was in pain. “I knew it.”  
“I was defending myself cause you punched me, you dick!” Everyone saw what happened. They looked at me with the same look Blake made. They thought I was a monster too. They all came at me, I couldn’t hurt them so I ran for it, ran to the rooftops. Logan kidnapped Fate to test me. For what? To make sure that he doesn’t destroy everything? I don’t get it. Why train me to stop himself? Or maybe, it wasn’t him doing that in the vision he gave me. That’s not important right now. Fate’s in trouble and only I can save her. And as of now, I’m a little short on friends.


	9. Ignite the Flame Within

I ran to Fate’s house from the rooftops, trying to avoid everyone. I radioed Marc to report on what just happened.  
“He what!?” Marc said  
“I’m not kidding, he exposed all of us. The aura reader existence just by using his powers.”  
“Why would he do this? What did he have to gang from this?”  
“I don’t know. He tried to warn me of a terrible future that’s going to happen.”  
“The classic rule the world type of thing?”  
“Yeah pretty much”   
Marc growled with anger.“This isn’t good. The footage is on every news channel! They think your some monster created out of a lab or something. Man, these reports are terrible guessers.” Marc said.  
“They probably failed science in high school.”  
“Django, I need to come here now! It’s the only safe place.”  
“I can’t, they kidnapped Fate. I need to save her, Marc” I tried to reason. Fate saved me years ago, when we met. Ever since that day, I felt like I owned her something. Marc paused for a second. He knew Fate too. He was against the idea of doing nothing too, but he had to think of the safety of everyone. He now sounded calm.  
“Django, you do know its a trap, right?”  
“I know. Its pretty obvious.”  
“Then why are you going anyway?”  
“Cause I have to try! I have to Marc. I own her that much.” Marc gave a pause. Fate was my only friend. I need her through this. I heard Callen in the room too.  
“Sir, we all knew what we signed up for. Isn’t it our job to save the innocent?” Callen told him. I wait a long pause for an answer.  
“Ok, Django, if you think you can do it.”  
“I know I can.”  
“Ok you two better be back here. Let us know on a location if you find it.”  
“Will do. And tell Callen I said ‘thanks’”

I ran practically miles from the school to fate’s house. All on the roof. When I made it…. I didn’t want to look at it. Her house look like it was hit by something hard. The door was busted down. I walked inside. Hoping to find anybody.  
“Fate! Are you in here?!” I hear a cough from the tv room. I see Fate’s mom all damaged and hurt. Looked like she was in a fight, and lost. I helped her up  
“Django?”  
“Hello, Ms, Corvo.”  
“What are you doing here?” I used my aura to try to heal her. She didn’t noticed.  
“I’m looking for Fate, what happened?”  
“Some men came in, two of them wearing hoods, they took her. I tried to fight them off but… water came out of the sink and attacked me.”   
“They were Dark readers….” I whispered  
“I was afraid of that.” When she said that, I was confused  
“Wait what?” she just looked at me for a second.  
“When you rescue her, you’ll know.”  
“Wait, how do you know I came to rescue Fate?” Her mom chucked.  
“Django, it was dead obvious you’re in love with Fate. Me, Marc, everyone knew it.” I just sighed.  
“It’s that obvious?”  
“You hang out with her 24/7” I sighed again.  
“Do you know they took her?”  
“They were going to take her to the monorail station near here.”  
“Thank you.” All of a sudden, I heard a jeep outside. I saw Marc and another Zodian corps agent with a first aid.   
“How’d you know this place was attacked?” I asked Marc  
“If Darkwatch came here, it was pretty clear.”  
“She’s hurt. She needs to be taken to a hospital.”  
“Our med station is just as good.” The agent helped her walk to the jeep.  
“Thank you, Marc” Linda said  
“No problem, Linda” She got in the jeep.  
“Where’s Fate?” Marc said  
“She’s at the monorail station near here.” There’s a monorail system that goes around the city  
“Wait, That’s one of the areas what Darkwatch took! The monorail is out because of it!” The agent explained. I began walking there. But Marc stopped me.  
“Django, wait—“  
“No Marc! I’m not going to sit around doing nothing while Fate is on a train to god knows where!”  
“Django”  
“No, I’m going”  
“Django!”  
“What!?”  
“You need a ride or not?” I was surprised  
“What?”  
“I’m taking you there. Better than walking. And here.” He gave me the great sword I got back in Galan. “You’ll need this”  
“Thank you, Marc.” I said  
“Fate is like a niece to me. And honestly, I always hoped you two would be together”  
“haha. Funny” I got in the jeep and we headed to the monorail station

We parked a block away. Hiding from Darkwatch camped there. I climbed out.   
“You sure you got this?”  
“I got this.” As I was about to get to the roof Marc said something  
“Django.” I turn around. “Don’t die”  
“Please. This is me we’re talking about.” Marc pulled out and drove back to base. I got to the roof and made it to the camp. I looked from uptop looking down. I saw some guards getting on the train. I jumped down and landed on the guy below. I used the mind-link and I knew where they taken here. The monorail would stop over there. I sneaked my way to the train. I went to the top of the train and it started to go.   
I tried to run from roof to roof on the train. Trying to keep balance. The rock knocked me to the sunlight window. The Slasher saw me and shot the window, it broke and I fell. They surrounded me. I used the Aura repulse to send them back. I ran for the lead car fighting Darkwatch car after car. When I finally made it to the second car, I saw a buff shotgunner like from Brez. He went to the lead car and stuck a grenade on the lock between the cars. It exploded and the cars were separated. I quickly ran for it, and jumped to the other one. I saw the big guy walking the guy driving the train. But he noticed I made it. He pulled out his shotgun and before he fired, I used my aura grip to move the seat for cover. When he stopped, I threw the seat at him and it hit him hard. I threw my bio grenade at him and that killed him. I walked up to the guy driving the train.  
“What the hell are you doing here!?” the conductor demanded  
“Where is this train stopping?”  
“I don’t have to tell you, Guardian” I pulled out my sword and he changed his tone. “Uh ok, maybe I can tell you, we’re heading up on it now.”  
“Do you know a girl that was held captive there?”   
“The loud one?”  
“She dresses like a guy a lot”  
“yeah she’s there” That seem easy

When we stopped at our destination, I used my aura grip and trapped the conductor so he can’t get away. “What is this!?”  
“My friends will come for you shortly”  
“No! don’t leave me here!” He keep shouting. Asking for freedom but I stepped out and went on the roof of the ware house. I saw fate in a cage. She was yelling to be let out. You can’t unhear her. She’s that loud. I over heard the conversion.  
“For the love of god, girl! Shut up!” The guard said. I saw two guards and two others with two blades and another with a great sword like mine. I could tell that they were Dark readers too. I could sense their aura. It was overwhelmly strong.  
“Why am I here? Let me out you assholes!” Fate yelled. It was good to hear her again.  
“God, shut up!”  
“The police will find you, you know and those two guys have nothing but swords! Way to bring a sword to a gunfight guys!”  
“You have no clue what these men can do.”  
“Let me guess, they can juggle swords?” The guard nodded at one of them. One of them read the water in the area and created a dragon shape by using the water. Fate was shocked. And actually quiet. “Um ok maybe your not lame. What the hell was that?”  
“If he comes for you, you’ll see.”   
“Just who are you talking about!?” the guard seems annoyed.  
“Your boyfriend! God damn it, now shut up!”   
“Why would Django come? He’s not here. He lefted without telling me”  
“Well he came back, whoopde-fricking-do”  
“He’s back?”   
“I’m not answering anymore”  
Time for me to get her out of there. But I’ll have to get rid of those readers. So I had a entrance. I read the water in the room. And made it in the middle of the warehouse. The guards were shocked.   
“What’s going on here!? I told you to stop reading the water!”   
“I’m not doing this!” The dark water reader said. I made a tidal wave that washed the guards outside the warehouse and froze them. That was too easy apparently.  
“Ha! Told you, you get your asses handed to you. I jumped down and walked to the cage with my hood up. Fate didn’t recognize me. “Um just what are you?”  
“Don’t you recognize me?” I said  
“You look like a hood gangster” Fate just made me realized that. I used my aura grip on the cage door and removed it.   
“Right now, I’m your hero.”  
“Nice try, dude. I’m not going to make out with cause you saved me. Even though you look cute.” She walked towards the entrance. I took out my necklace.  
“Fate.”  
“Ok how you know my name?” I showed her the necklace. The one my uncle gave me as a kid. She knew what it was. “… Django?” I removed my hood  
“Hey.” I thought she would hug me and tell me how much she missed me. But…  
“What the hell, man!?”  
“What?”  
“We went on our first date, the next day you leave without telling me, you don’t come back for about a week, I get kidnapped and you rescue me by pulling some telekinesis junk!? What the hell happened!?”  
“…. So that was a date”  
“Dude!”  
“Ok, I have a lot of explaining to do...”  
“Hell yes you do!”  
“But here isn’t a good time”  
“You took out those guys no problem, What’s the trouble?”  
“They’re not done” The dark water reader unfroze himself and his buddy used fire to heat himself out. He was a fire reader, I never seen that used before. I pulled out my great sword and it extended.  
“What the hell….”  
“Fate, lets just say I discovered my heritage. Now hide somewhere” Fate ran into the resting area in the warehouse. The two dark readers walked up to the warehouse.  
“Well that was surprising.” Said the dark water reader with the great sword.  
“I know. Logan wasn’t kidding about this one” Said the fire reader. He had a thick Austrian accent. He pulled out his twin blades. “Shame we have to kill ya, mate.”  
The fire reader launched a fire missile my way. I shot a air missile to rid of it. The hit and created a fire wheel and disappeared. “That was easy. This is where it gets hard!” He this time launched a fire column at me. I just rolled out of the way.   
“That’s what she said” Both me and Fate yelled. The fire guy got pissed and shot a stream of fire from his feet and dashed to me. He was about to strike when I blocked it with my sword. We keep clashing swords. The water guy read the water and tried to hit me. I got out of the way and it hit the fire reader.  
“Watch where your reading, bloody mongol!”   
“Well next time, get out of the way.” The water reader fired some ice missiles at me. I also read them out of the way. But the fire reader fired fire missiles at me too. I tried to counter by using the aura grip to hit the fire reader with a fork lift. He got hit and threw my sword at the water reader and hit his legs and fell to the floor. My sword came back to me.   
The fire reader got the fork lift off and fired more fire missiles. I blocked the best I could but I got knocked into a wall. The water got up and trudged his way to me.   
“What the hell is wrong with you?” The fire reader said  
“He hit me with his sword.” The water reader responded  
“He hit me with a fork lift but I’m not complaining!”  
“You two aren’t the greatest partners aren’t you?”  
“We’re good enough to kick your ass!” The fire reader put his foot on me. “You want to do the honors?” The fire reader asked the water reader.  
“You go ahead” He answered. Same situation as before: Backed into a corner. Am I this weak? “Say goodbye”   
“No!” I saw Fate away from her hiding place  
“Fate, get out of here!”  
“This doesn’t affect you”  
“Yes it does…” I saw something strange. I started to see some heat around Fate’s hands “He may of lefted me, but he came back.” The heat started to get more intense.  
“Is it me? Or is it hot in here?” the fire reader said  
“What you talking about? You’re a fire reader, You can’t feel heat!” the Water reader said   
“But I’m not letting you kill him!” Fate seem to get angry. “So Back off!” As she said that, she threw her fists into the air and threw them down. As that happened, fire can out of her fists and created a fire wave that hit the dark readers. It pushed them to the wall. I was dumbfounded. Fate is a Aura reader.  
I got up. “Fate? How did you do that?”  
“I. Don’t know.” She seemed really surprised. But then again, The fire and water readers were also pissed.   
“She’s an Aura reader!?” The Fire reader yelled.  
“I guess she is” The water reader responded.  
“Well this well be fun.” The fire reader charged at Fate. Before he can hit her, I fired a aura push and knocked him out to the side. The water reader fired an ice beam at me. I tried to read the ice but he was coming for me.  
“Fate! Do that again!” I yelled  
“I don’t know how!” I unfroze and striked back.  
“Get angry!” the fire reader got back up and looked at Fate and fired a fire missile. She put her hands in front of her to defend herself. The fire missile went away and tried to copy him and she fired a fire missile too. The fire reader was caught off guard and got hit.  
“Yea I got him!”  
“That’s real great, Fate. Little help here?” Me and the water reader clashed swords. When we locked swords, I used my aura push to push him across the room. Fate fired some fire at him and tried to block it but had a hard time. I fired some aura bolts and Fate fired a fire stream. The water reader tired to shield himself, but her fire stream melted the ice quick allowing me to throw a bio grenade. He got knocked down again. Just when I was about to finish him, The fire reader dashed to his side. “I thought you got him” I told Fate.  
“Looks like we have to retreat, mate.” The fire reader said  
“Looks that way.” Said the water reader. “Looks like Logan has two Aura readers to worry about.” Black aura surrounded them and they disappeared.  
“Crap, they got away.” I said  
“Oh my god! What the hell was that!?” Fate yelled out. Glad to see that she was fine. She turned to me “Now you have some explaining to do!”   
“Ok. I will. I’ll tell you on the way”  
“Way to where?”  
“My new friends”

On the way to the Tri Theater, I explained everything to Fate. About my kind, what I was doing for the past week, Logan, everything. We were on the rooftops, still avoiding people.  
“So that’s what you were doing this whole time?”  
“Yep.” I said. Waiting for her to take it all in”  
“So this Logan killed your parents, and your – our – kind?”  
“Yea. I went to the temples of Brez and Galen. To gain more power. I’m the only one that can control all elements. That could give me the power to beat him.”  
“So… Am I one of them?” we stopped and she she looks at her hands. She’s making her aura visible. It was clear red.  
“Yes.” I said. “the aura readers can see aura and make their visible. As well as control one of the five elements. You’re a fire reader.”  
“Well… that might explain why I’m such a pyro” We laughed for a while then continued moving. “Remember when we burned that horrible vampire love book?”  
“Yeah. That book was awful”  
“But it made great firewood. So where are we going now?” When she asked, we made it to the theater.  
“Here? The tri Theater?”  
“Yeah. Hard to believe isn’t it?” We went inside and we found one of the employees. He look like the agent from the heli-pad. I could sense his aura.   
“Hello, sir, how can we help you?”  
“Uhh where’s Marc?”  
“Marc who?” He was trying to keep his cover. His radio buzzed and he answered it. “Oh. this way.” We went into a closet. The agent pulled a hidden lever and we went down an elevator. To the real base.  
“Ohhh. So that’s why they went into the closet.” Fate said  
“What you think they went in here?” I asked. She look at me with her ‘you know…’ face and I got it. “Ohhh. Yeah. I would think that too”  
We went into the ops room and Fate’s mother saw her daughter. She ran up and hugged her daughter  
“Oh my god, Fate! Your ok” Her mom said  
“Mom….” Fate said  
“So what happened?” Marc asked. I looked at Fate.  
“Show them” Fate showed them her aura and made fire in her hands. All but Fate’s mother seem surprised.  
“So, you found out” Linda said  
“Wait you knew about this?” Fate asked  
“Yes, honey, your father was an aura reader.”  
“He was?” Accounting to her mother before, Fate’s father died when she was young.   
“He was a great aura reader. We met when he visited L.A”  
“What happened to him?”   
“He got exiled from us. For crimes I didn’t know about. I never heard from him since” This gave fate a realization about her father. There was a chance he was still alive. At least her father is alive…  
“Anyway, everyone knows about the aura readers now. Not much but they know” Marc said  
“Now what?” I asked.  
“We continue our mission. We head for Berth.”  
“The village in Africa?” Fate said.   
“At least she didn’t fall asleep in class” Marc said  
“I was tired that day! Give me a break” I said  
“I want to come” Fate said.  
“What?” her mother said  
“I’m not letting Django have all the fun and mom, this could give me a chance to learn about myself” Her mom gave a pause to think about it  
“You will look after them?” Her mom asked Marc  
“I will” she looked at her daughter again.   
“I guess…”  
“Yes! Thank you, mom”   
“Don’t die, sweetie. I lost your father, I can’t lose you”  
“Relax, mom”  
Before we left, Marc gave Fate her hood. It was black with red seems. She’s picky with clothing and changed it to black and blue with her girl fashion skills. What? I don’t know how she does it. Marc then gave her twin blades. Fire readers a skilled with twin blades. Fate always loved swords. She’s a pyro and sword crazy. I don’t want to get her pissed. This time, we went on a private plane.  
“How’d you get a private plane?” I asked Marc  
“We… liberated it. From Darkwatch.” Marc explained  
Before we went on the plane, I saw Callen running up to us.  
“Wait up!” He yelled.  
“What are you doing here?” I asked  
“Oh yeah, I invited him.” Marc said  
“Thanks for the warning, Marc” I said sarcastically.  
“Berth is a dangerous place, Django, Your going to need me.” He patted my shoulder and went on the helicopter. When he went in, he saw Fate. “You must Fate”   
“Yeah” she said  
“Callen” they shook hands “You must be Django’s girlfriend” Both of looked at each other and tried to nervously explained how we weren’t dating. “Yeah… real convincing”  
We were on our way: to the village of Berth.


	10. Stories of old

It took a long time to get to Africa. We pass the time with the news. All though, it’s not very comforting. The news keeps calling the Aura Readers “freaks” I save the whole school and this is how they treat me? Marc says it’s because “humans fear what they don’t understand.”   
We try to ignore what’s going on in the world by telling each other stories. Callen told some of his stories when he was part of the L.A police department. He claims those are nothing compared to these days with the dark readers. Me and Fate tell him stories of some of our pranks on the jocks. Like one time, we decided to get back at them by dumping gallons of barrels of water. It was a fun time. They never even know who did it.

After several hours, we arrived, but not at Berth just yet. We landed in a airport in Egypt.   
“Let me guess, Berth has no airports?” I asked Marc  
“They have standard technology, but yeah, they have no airports” Marc answered  
“So where is it?” I asked  
“It’s in the borderline between Lybra, Egypt, and Sudan. We’ll have to take a jeep.”  
We rented a truck. But it only had two seats. Marc and Callen took the seats, me and Fate took the back.  
“You two better not do anything funny while we head there” Marc warned us  
“We won’t do anything!” me and Fate said. When Marc got in the truck Fate snapped her fingers. She was basically saying ‘damn it’. The truck has a window to look in the back so we wouldn’t even have any privacy.  
We hit the road. Fate and I were enjoying the scenery as we drove by. She rested her head on my shoulder and I hold on to her. All of a sudden, I got a small headache. I knew what that meant: My preflex acted up. Next thing I knew, truck full of rebels come out of nowhere and attack us. Me and Fate got down.  
“We’re under attack!” Marc yelled. Callen took out his collapsible gun and fired at the rebels. Me and Fate used our powers to fight back. I fire some ice beams, slowing down their vehicles. One of the trucks got close and one rebel jumped out and attacked Fate. She pulled out her sword and slashed the attacker and pushed him out. Look like she has no problem killing those who attack.  
“There’s too many!” Callen shouted. After he said that, arrows came out of nowhere, killing the rebels. The rest drove away. “Uhhh, never mind”  
In front of us there were Africans. They pulled out bow and arrows and aimed at us. Strange thing is that they were wearing Aura Reader robes  
“Surrender!” They shouted. We got out and stood in a line. Out of the crowd of men came a girl. She looked the same age as me and Fate.   
“Why are you here?” She said  
“We’re here to see the earth temple” Marc said  
“I’m sorry but you can’t. We encountered people like you before, you want our secrets. The secret that is now exposed.” She said.   
“You wouldn’t happen to be talking about the Aura Readers are you?” I asked. She pulled a sword on me, about to kill me if I don’t explain.  
“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Fate shouted  
“Fate, I got this” I told her  
“How do you know of the Aura Readers? They’re names weren’t revealed.” The girl questioned me. I look at Marc and he nodded  
“Because I’m the Aura guardian” I told her. When those words left my mouth, her eyes widen. Not only that but I heard mumbling from the bowmen.  
“I don’t know how you know of them, but that is impossible. The Aura Readers left this world years ago.” The girl explained  
“Our fathers left us here.” I said  
“’Our’?”   
“The girl that’s with me, Fate, she’s an Aura Reader too.”  
“I doubt that” She was about to strike, but I quickly pulled out my sword and blocked her attack. The bowmen began to aim at us and everyone else took out their weapons. There was about to be a massacre, but a voice yelled out “STOP!”  
We froze in place. A middle-age man, probably around 50, with a cane, came out from nowhere. He was also wearing a robe. “He is the Aura Guardian.” He looked at me than to Fate “And she is an Aura Reader.” He pointed his cane at her. “I can sense their energies: stronger than any other human. But the others…” He looked at Marc and Callen.  
“They’re my friends.” I told him. “Who are you?”  
“Father, why are you here?” The girl said  
“Erhan, you are not supposed to be out here.”  
“You said I couldn’t be outside the village without an escort, I had a whole team” She said. Her father looked around and saw she was technically right.  
“We not done here” the father said. He walked past her and up to me. He looked at me for a long moment. “Let them in” He finally said.  
“But father!”  
“Erhan!”  
“Fine.” She admitted. The bowmen lowered their weapons. We did the same.  
“I’m sorry for my daughter’s… stubbornness.” The man apologized.  
“It’s fine.” I said. “So who are you?”  
“Forgive me, my name is Jaybird. I’m the village leader of Berth.”  
“I’m Django. This is my Uncle Marc, and my friends Callen and Fate.”  
“Great to meet all of you.” He bowed his head as a sign of respect. We did the same. “I hear you’re here for our temple?”  
“Yes but we have good reason.”  
“The Dark Readers…”  
“So you know?” I said  
“Yes, I know. Come with me, fill me in on what has happened.”

We followed Jaybird to Berth. On the way, we filled him in on what happened.   
“Ahh, so the traitor has revealed himself” Said Jaybird  
“You seem to know a lot of the Aura Readers” Fate said  
“We are the decestants of the villagers who lived with the Aura Readers when they first came here. They made Berth, and our ancestors were refugees, they let us inhabit the village. We lived here as their alleys ever since. Until….”  
“Until what?” Callen asked  
“When the traitor attacked Ace city, the Aura Readers here lefted to help fight. We haven’t seen them since. We heard what happened from the Aura Guardian of the time.”  
“My dad?” I said  
“Yes, I believe his name was Mordecai”  
“What was he like?” I asked.  
“A powerful man. Full of respect for the Aura Readers and humanity and full with spiritual insight. A truly great man. You never seen your own father?”  
“He died when I was a year old. My mother left me with my uncle before she died” I told him  
“So you never knew of your powers until your 16th birthday?”  
“Yes.” I looked down, trying to imagine what my dad looked like.  
“They are not completely gone you know” Jaybird said.  
“What?”  
“There is an old legend about the Aura Readers: since their spirits are strong, they are always walking with us. They sometimes stay with their families, and watch as they grow into great people.” As he said that, I remember the man I saw on my 16th birthday.   
I was walking home one day and I saw the same hooded man. He then just walked away. I always see him. Sometimes when I was a kid, I’d see him out the window on the building from my room. I thought he was a stalker until I confronted him one day after school.   
“Who are you!?” He just stood there. I walked fast up to him to grab him and get answers. But as I grabbed him, he disappeared. From that point, I thought he was a ghost following me. He never said anything but he never hurt me. So I just ignored him. But from what Jaybird told me, I begin thinking, ‘Was that ghost my father?’  
“Ah we are here” Jaybird said.  
We arrived at Berth. It was a large village. I thought everyone wore regular village clothing like most Africans. But they wore regular pants and shirts. “The bonfire is about to begin, would you like to join us as guests of honor?”  
“What is this bonfire?” Callen asked  
“We have a bonfire every month; it’s a way of celebrating the lives of the Aura Readers.”  
“Will there be food?” Callen asked  
“Yes” Jaybird answered. Callen wrapped his arm around me and Fate  
“We’ll be there” Callen said.  
“Wait.” Marc said. “What about the temple?”  
“Ahh yes.” Jaybird said “Go ahead. I’ll let my men know I gave you access”

Night was falling as we went to the temple, the guards were guarding it. They heard of our arrival and let us in. The temple had the same design as the others.  
“This place looks a lot like the one in the water temple.” Callen said  
“Same with the Ace city temple” Fate said  
“I guess you see one, you see them all.” I said  
“There’s the shrine.” Marc said  
“The elder said you can take the temple’s energy, but then you must leave.” The guard said  
“You might want to stand back guys” I said. The guys backed away and I did the same routine as I did before: I touched the shrine and the surge of energy went into me. The shock of it was powerful.  
“Django!” Fate yelled. Callen stopped her  
“Stop!”  
“But he’s!”  
“Don’t worry, this happens all the time” Callen said to comfort her. I had another vision of my new power. I saw a Aura Reader launch a Aura Missile. Not only that, but control Earth. The surge stopped and writing appeared on the walls like before. Fate ran over to help me up.  
“Thanks” I said “This is really getting old very fast” Marc took pictures of the writing  
“We’re almost there” Marc said  
“What does it say?” I ask  
“I don’t know yet. I’ll go to the elder’s house tomorrow and translate. You ok, Django?”  
“Yeah. It’s only a headache”  
“Are you done in here?” the guard asked. Marc nodded at me  
“Yeah we’re done.” I said  
“Good. The elder is expecting you at the bonfire.” The guard said as he escorted us out.

When night fell, we were at the bonfire in the center of the village. There was dancing and food. Callen was enjoying it too much.  
“Dude! This bonfire is great!” He told me  
“Glad you love it.”  
“It’s official, I love this place” Some time after, the music stopped and the Jaybird and his daughter came out. He gave us a seat next to him. I was between Erhan and Fate.  
“I’m sorry for that incident earlier” Erhan apologized  
“It’s ok” I said  
“Welcome everyone to the bonfire. This month, I like to introduce you to our special guests, The Aura Guardian and his allies!” Everyone applauded.   
“I never thought you were this famous here” Fate said  
“The Aura Readers alone are worshipped. The Aura Guardian is like a god.” Erhan said  
“For our new friends here, I will tell the old long story Aura Reader’s arrival here on Earth.” The villagers groaned. “Ok guys, I know you heard it a million times, but this is a special moment”  
“Dad, everyone has heard it” Erhan said  
“I haven’t” I said  
“I’d like to hear it” Fate said  
“See!? Ok here it goes” Jaybird said. The villagers groaned again. “If you guys groan again, I’ll take away taco Tuesday!” The villagers quiet down. They must really love tacos.  
“Long ago, since the time of the first civilization, the Aura Readers have came here from the stars above. It is not known how or why, but they came here. They lived in secret and watched us as they lived. Two people, two best friends, one of them being the first Aura Guardian. They both look at our race, and noticed how we always go to war, neglect each other. The Aura Readers didn’t like this, but they didn’t interfere. They thought that we were young and needed time to truly understand. But the Aura Guardian’s best friend didn’t think that. He thought the humans were creatures not worthy of them and don’t deserve this planet. He had a plan to enslave them. The Aura Guardian refused this idea. So his friend went on with his plans behind the Guardian’s back. He recruited other Aura Readers that thought the same views. When this was discovered, the Guardian and his friend got into fight. This is what started a war between the Aura Readers and the Dark readers”   
“That’s it? That’s all there is?”  
“Well some details of the event aren’t clear, but that’s most of it. You enjoyed the story?”  
“Yeah, it was interesting.” I said  
“It gets boring when you hear it every single month” Erhan said.  
“Ok, everyone may continue with the bonfire” Everyone cheered. Marc had a plate of food and was eating it beside me while I was looking at the sky. That story made me think about how the Aura Readers got here in the first place.  
“Your thinking of that story aren’t you?” Marc said.  
“You know that mind-reading thing you do can get annoying.” I said  
“I’m a parent, that’s my job” Marc said as he licked his fingers  
“… do u think I’m ready?” I said Marc. I think he knew what I meant. He stopped eating his chicken.  
“Django, I have seen you grow from a mere baby to a man in little time. I’ve seen you handle your problems on your own and you help others with their problems”   
“I did?”  
“When we went to Galen, you done all you could to help Callen settle the score with Tempest. Even as a child, I saw you help girls at school with problems.”  
“I did that because no one deserves to live a terrible life.” I said. Marc took a look at me  
“Django, I know you never asked for this life. I know that you didn’t want anything to do with this, but it’s the one you got.”  
“Minus well finish what they started” I said. Marc patted me on my shoulder.  
“In time, your questions will be answered. But don’t worry about what will happen, worry about what you didn’t do on your journey” I knew what he meant. It was basically a deep way of saying ‘enjoy the freaking party already’. Fate must have overheard the conversion, because she came up to me.   
“Hey, want to dance?” Fate asked me  
“Uh, you know I don’t like dancing” I said  
“Come on…” She begged  
“Come on, Django, you have to if you want to keep your girlfriend” Callen said as he drank his cup  
“She’s not my --- you know what, ok lets dance” I said. I’ll save you the embarrassment of the dance and skip it.  
“Wow. That was…” Callen said  
“Shut up. Never speak of it.” I told him.   
For some reason, I sensed a strong energy nearby. I looked down the road and I saw a hooded man walking toward the bonfire. He launched an ice missile right at the bonfire and it right out, leaving only the village lights. The villagers started to panic, I took out my great sword.  
“Everyone! Get out of here!” I yelled. The village warriors and Fate got ready for another attack. Marc and Callen were helping everyone to safety. Whoever this guy was, he was a Dark Reader. Another ice missile launched, I decided to use my new element and read the earth. I made a barrier of earth stick out to protect me, the warriors, and Fate. The ice missile hit the barrier.   
“Dude, does this happen every time you go to a city?” Fate asked  
“Pretty much.” I responded. I then launched the barrier right at him. He dodged it by reading water and launches himself upward.  
“Something’s not right” Erhan said  
“What’s wrong?” I asked  
“There is no water here for miles, and there isn’t any in the air to read it from. Where is he getting it?” Erhan made a point. We’re in the dessert. Where is he getting it?  
While he was in the air, he launched more ice missiles at us, we dodged them but I noticed something weird about them. It dissolved into acid. When he landed, he smashed his great sword into the ground and created a path of ice and hit me.  
“Django!” Fate yelled. She fired fire missiles at him and he read the acid to make a shield threw it at her. I read the earth under her feet to rise her up to avoid the acid. “Thanks”   
“Fate, get everyone out now.”  
“But—“  
“Now! He’s too dangerous, he’s controlling acid somehow.” I told her  
“Ok…” Fate admitted. She kissed me on the cheek, “Don’t die” she said. She and Erhan and the others left to protect the villagers. I looked at the guy’s aura and it was the same person from Ace city in the warehouse.  
“Your that guy from Ace city. I don’t think we had a proper introduction” I said as I fired my Aura missile. He read the acid and crystallized it, using it as a shield.   
“I see you gone to the temple.” He said as he fired ice missiles. I read the ice out of the way and blocked it with earth.  
“Where’s your friend?” I said.   
“Not here” He said as he read the acid at me. I blocked it with an earth barrier.  
“What the hell are you controlling?” I asked. I saw him reading it from a sack on his back.  
“One of the advantages of being a Dark Reader.” He launched it at me again but I dodged it.  
“Did Logan send you?” I said as I fired an earth missile. He smashed it with his great sword. “Why yes. I came here to see what was on the temple after you absorbed the energy. But attacking you is a personal matter.” He read the acid and turned it to ice and launched himself up again and he read the ice around him and landed with a ice wave hitting me. I get up.  
“Why is a personal matter?” I read the ice and threw it at him  
“I don’t have to answer that” He said as he deflected it.  
“Why do you work for him?” I asked. He stopped for a second  
“He saved my life”  
“How can a man like him save you?”  
“By promising me power”  
“So you let him use you as a slave so you can have power?”  
“You don’t understand!” He was always quiet but now “I don’t expect you to understand. When I was a kid, my mother died and my father abused me. My father would hit me whenever he wanted. He paused for a second. “One day I ran away and became homeless. Then he found me. He saw my fear and anger from my parents and promised me something. If I were to help him with a ‘plan’ he would give me the power I need to get justice.” As he told his story Fate and Erhan heard him. I’m sure he saw them and still continued on “He revealed to me about the Aura and Dark readers and gave me the power of water and ice. Because I’m a Dark reader, it turned into acid. Dark readers control the dark side of the elements. Some time later, I returned to him. He were yelling and wondering where I was. My father was about to punch he until I caught his fist and twisted it. He got down on his knees because of the pain. I told him ‘You will pay for what you did to me.’ And I killed him. The feeling felt good. The bastard deserved it! That day, I followed Logan orders. But you don’t understand. You don’t have parents” As he finished, he hold up his blade. He was to strike.  
“Your right, I don’t know.” I said. He lowered his weapon. “I never had parents. But I had a father figure. But I have been abused everyday at school. Some days, I feel like killing them.” I looked at my hand and made my aura visible. “When I discovered my powers, my first thought was that I could finally get justice. And they would beg for forgiveness. But that thought went away when I encounter Logan. When I found he killed my parents and my kind. My anger for the bullies went away and focused on him.” when I said that, he looked confused. “I want payback and answers for what he did. I won’t stop until I do. I’m only telling you this once: Logan is a user, he’s using all of us for some master plan!” He continued to look confused.  
“What plan is it that he’s planning?”  
“You don’t know?  
“He never told me.”  
“He plans to enslave us all. He came to my school and showed me a vision of some soldiers enslaving us all!” He put away his weapon and turned away.   
“Mason.” He said  
“What?” I asked  
“My name is Mason.” He said. Black aura started to surround him and he disappeared. Fate, Erhan, Marc and Callen came up to me.  
“What was that about?” Callen asked  
“I don’t know.” I answered  
“I heard him.” Fate said  
“So did I” Erhan said. “The poor soul” Jaybird began to walk up to us.  
“He may have been a Dark Reader, but can you blame him? He was forced to choose power over being hurt. He wanted to make the hurt go away.” Jaybird said. “Come, let us rest for the night. Marc, come to my place, we’ll help you translate the writing at the temple.”  
I thought about what Jaybird said. And in a lot of ways, Mason and I are the same; trying to kill the person that caused us great pain. But what I saw in Mason was myself. My Dark Reader self.

The next day, Marc translated the riddle: ‘Spirit, air, water, and earth. You’ve been to them all but one, the last city. Go buy some things while your there.’ Marc knew what city it was. We got in our truck and said goodbye to our new allies, and head back to the airport. We went on our way to the last city: The city of Furno.


	11. History is a Broken Record

_I found myself in nothing. Nothing but black.  
“Django…” I heard a voice say.  
“Who’s there?” I said  
“Django…” It was a deep and scary voice. Like something you don’t want to encounter “Fighting for them… I don’t understand…”  
“Show yourself! Step out from the shadows!”   
The voice laughed “Poor child. I can’t step out. I AM shadow” I saw a pair of black eyes. I could see them because out it’s white lining  
“Who or what are you?”  
“I have been called a lot of things… but the one name I only liked… was shroud.”  
“You’re a Dark Reader” I said.   
The voice laughed again “No. I am more than just a Dark Reader.”  
“Does Logan work for you?”   
The voice took it’s time to answer “In a way, I don’t want to ruin the surprise. But I’m here to warn you…Turn back. You have been a thorn in my side for too long! If you continue, you will die. If you win, you will still die.” It took a while… but I figured it out  
“You’re the being in the vision Logan gave me” I realized.   
Shroud laughed “Not exactly. You see, I’m prepared for everything. If you do stop Logan from getting the mask…All you know will still be destroyed. Turn back, Django, and maybe, you will live.”  
“No. Aura Readers don’t run.”   
Shroud laughed “Don’t make me laugh!”  
“I think I already did”  
“Your kind, were cowards. They ran away in the invasion of Ace city.”  
“To where?”  
“You will find out. Like I said, Turn. Back”_

I woke up from that nightmare. I was still on the plane to Furno.   
“Django? You ok?” Fate asked  
“I’m fine” I replied. I then heard Marc in the other room screaming  
“Where the hell is it!?” He came out of the room looking for something  
“What are you looking for?” I asked  
“The next hood I was supposed to give you. It was the final one in the ranking system and I’m also looking for the duel swords that came with it.” Marc was walking back and forth. “I gave it to the luggage guy; he was supposed to put it on the plane”  
“Maybe it was his first day.” Fate said. Callen then came out of his room with the hood.  
“Marc. Found it”   
“Where you find it?”  
“It was in my closet, they must have switched the luggage”  
“Or you wore it for yourself.” Marc said. Callen was trying to sound like he didn’t take it.  
“What? Of course not…” Marc gave him the ‘I know you did it’ look. He does that with me all the time. “Ok I wore it a little” Marc just sighed and gave it to me.  
“Here, Django. You reached one of the highest rank of the Aura Readers. You did good.” It was a black hood with red lines going in a pattern with short front panels and long back ones that reached to the back of my calve. I tried it on and it felt good.  
“Thanks, uncle” I said  
“No problem. You earned it. But I still need to give you the duel swords. Where are they?” Fate came out of her room with the swords.  
“I was wondering why there was an extra pair of swords in my room” Fate said. Marc took them  
“Damn carriers. Ok here you go.” I activated the swords and tried swinging them a little.   
“Perfect.” I said. 

We landed in Furno. Furno is an island like Hawaii with a semi active volcano. It never erupted once and the towns’ people plan on it never erupting. The city is by the ocean, the volcano is far enough away that even if it does erupt, the trenches that the people dug with direct the lava to the ocean.   
Furno is famous for its parks. It has a small downtown area with a lot of collectable items from TV.   
“Ok, let’s get that artifact!” I said. I started walking and stopped. I turned around to Marc “… Uh, where is the temple?”  
“Fell asleep in the class again?” Fate said  
“I was tired that day!” I defended myself  
“The temple won’t be easy to get to. In fact, I now understand why Mordecai left it here” Marc said   
“Ok why?” I asked   
“The temple is inside the volcano.” I looked at the volcano  
“You’re kidding”  
“I wish I wasn’t”  
“How can we get there?” Callen asked  
“We won’t” Marc said looking at Callen. “Django and Fate will go”   
“What!?” Me and Fate said  
“Marc if you hate me all you have to do is say it” I said  
“No, no. You see, there’s a technique to help you survive: the hot air is made of heat and air, you the read the hot air away from you as you go in, but there the problem of the heat. You have to be a Fire Reader to read the heat out and a Wind Reader to read the air. This is why Fate will be with you.”  
“Seems like a plan I guess.” I said  
“What about us?” Callen said  
“It’s too dangerous for us. Their Aura Readers, their aura keeps their body at perfect temperature, allowing them to survive some environments, but they can still die of extreme temperatures. They stand a better chance if they go alone.”  
“So that explains why I never get hot whenever I wear black in the summer” Fate said  
“You sure your not making this up so you won’t go in?” I asked Marc  
“Of course not.” Marc said. I gave him the ‘I know your lying’ look. “Well, maybe a bit of both.” 

We went through the city and to the volcano. We stood at the edge and I saw the temple at the bottom at the opposite side from us.  
“This is it” I said. “Whatever Logan killed the Readers for, is in there.”  
“You sure you want to go in, Django?” Fate asked  
“We don’t have to go. It’s protected enough as it is.” Callen pointed out  
“Logan will find it eventually and the heat won’t stop him.” I said  
“What will you do when we get it?” Fate asked. This entire time, I never thought of that. Shroud said the Aura Readers fled. Maybe whatever it is can take me to them.  
“We find the Aura Readers.” I finally said  
“You’re serious?” Callen said  
“Nope. If they did survive, then we can find them. They can help us get rid of Logan and what he showed me.”  
“What if they didn’t?” Fate told me. I didn’t want to think about that. I don’t want to believe that they’re all dead. Me and Fate can’t be the last.  
“I don’t know…” I said  
“Point is: We find it and get it. If we can’t find them, then we’ll destroy it” Marc said. “Good luck, my nephew.” Marc put his arm on my shoulder  
“I won’t fail, uncle”  
“I know you won’t”  
Fate and I went down the path. Marc and Callen stayed at the top. As we went down, the air started to get hot. I read the air away and Fate read the heat. It got cooler. It wasn’t freezer cool, but survivable. We reached the temple after a while. We went in. For some reason, the temple was much cooler than outside. The layout was the same as the others. But it had lava moving throughout the lines carved in.  
“It’s the same as the others. But just as beautiful.” Fate said  
“I know.” I said. “Reminds me of the beginning of the year at Ace city.” I noticed Fate blushing. I kissed her. Yes, I kissed her, call me a hopeless romantic but yes. I kissed her. When I stopped, her eyes widened. “I wanted to make up for not telling you in the first place.” I told her  
“It’s ok” She said “I wanted you to do that a long ass time ago.” I looked to the shrine. “I have an idea…” Fate said  
“What?”  
“How about this time, I take some of the energy too? Maybe it’ll make me stronger too”  
“I don’t know… what if it doesn’t give me enough power to beat Logan?”  
“Two Aura Readers are better than one.” Fate said. I thought about it.   
“It’ll be dangerous. You sure you want to?”  
“I want to.” She said as he held my hand.  
“Ok.” I said as we were about to put our hands on it. “I hope this doesn’t kill me” As we put our hands on it, the surge of energy went through us. I could hear Fate shout from the pain. But it was worth it. I had a vision of a Reader put his hands up in the air and aurora lights appeared in the sky and he summoned down what looked like a lightning bolt, but with aura, and creating a path of destruction.   
When the vision ended, the place started to shake. The shrine started to open and I saw the writing on the walls. My Aura sense started acting up. Not just mine but Fate’s too. I saw the writing and could translate it. ‘The key to everything is now found. What you do with this is your choice. Your choice to save everything or destroy it all.’ The shrine opened and a column came out with something on it. It was a mask. It was gold with a light blue pattern. The place stopped shaking.   
“This is it?” Fate said. “A mask? All this way and we find a mask!?”   
“That’s cause we’re looking at it with human eyes. We must see it in the Aura Reader sense.” I used my Aura sense and showed it to Fate. She understood and did the same. We both saw a strong light blue energy. It didn’t look like aura. It wasn’t a living being so it couldn’t be. Plus, it was pulsing. I touched it and I saw a short vision in my head. It lasted for a second but it looked like a Aura Reader using it while a planet was being destroyed. “That’s weird” I said  
“What?” Fate asked  
“The mask showed me something”  
“What was it?”   
“I don’t know” I picked it up. “I feel like… I know this energy…” Fate touched it too.  
“It feels… similar. What the hell is this.”  
“That is the key to everything.” We heard a voice say behind us. It was Logan. He followed us. And he brought Darkwatch and one of the Dark Readers from Ace city. I didn’t see Mason. This was the Fire Reader. “You kids really don’t read what’s in front of you do you?”  
“What are you doing here?” I said. Me and Fate took out our swords  
“To get what is mine.” We prepared to attack. “Oh no, you won’t. Bring them out.” His men thing dragged Marc and Callen and dropped them in front of us. Logan took out his crescent blade and points it at them. “Give me the mask or your uncle will die”  
“What about me?” Callen said. “I’m not worthy to be killed? I feel a little insulted”  
“Oh I’ll kill you myself you rat” The Fire Reader said  
“Zak, stay back. Not yet.” Logan said. So that was his name.  
“Django! Don’t give him the mask! Get out of here!” Logan stepped on him with boot.  
“Quiet, you! What is it Django?”  
“Let them go. This is between you and me.” I demanded  
“Hmm. You changed a lot since our first meeting. At first, you never wanted to be Guardian, but now, you have become something great. But I’ll be taking that mask.” He used his Aura grip to get the mask.  
“If you could that the whole time, why threaten me to give it to you?” I asked  
“Just a test to see if you care about your uncle or the fate of the world”  
“You ass-hat” Fate said  
“I’ll be ignoring that.” Logan looked at the mask. “Oh, Mordecai. You went through all of this to hide this from me… And I still found it.”  
“Why you want it? You have enough power as it is.” I asked.  
“Do you know what this is?”  
“A mask”  
“Yes, but it’s so much more. This is the thing that brought the Aura Readers here many years ago, and the thing that imprisoned my army.”  
“What?” I said  
“How did that thing wipe out your army?” Fate asked  
“This, mask as you call it, is the mask of dimensions.”  
“Mask of dimensions?” I asked  
“It will bring back the Dark Readers.” He put it on and the blue energy connected to his face. The light blue lines turned black. ”So this is what it feels like… Mask of dimensions! Find the Dark Readers!” In that moment a portal appears above Logan. And in it were black wolf like creatures that came out of the portal and jumped down beside Logan. “Hmm it appears the atmosphere of where they were sent mutated them. No matter…” Logan turned to his pets. “Feast my followers” The creatures jumped on the Darkwatch and absorbed their aura. The poor bastards never stood a chance.  
“Why the hell did you do that!?” I yelled  
“I only need them to get where I am today. Why have a human army, when you can have a Dark Reader army?”  
“I’ll stop you. I’ll stop all of it.” I said. Logan grinned  
“Then let’s find out.” He stepped off of Marc. “Come to Ace city’s tower. There everything you need to know will be revealed.” He turned to Zak and nodded. Zak was surrounded by black aura and disappeared. “See you there, Django” He disappeared too. I ran to Marc and Callen  
“You two ok?” I asked as I helped them up  
“Well we’re alive aren’t we?” Callen said  
“Logan and his goons came and took us here.”  
“This is my fault.” I said  
“No it isn’t!” Fate said  
“If I did something, he wouldn’t have gotten it…”  
“Now’s not the time for regret.” Marc said after he got off his phone. “Dark Readers have been spotted around the world, portals opening everywhere. The military is fighting back. But it seems like they won’t survive.”  
“And here in Furno?” I asked. He nodded. I ran out.   
“Django!” Marc yelled

I ran to the top of the volcano. I saw Dark readers in the city.   
“Django!” Marc yelled.  
“The city’s under attack!” I said  
“I know! But we have to end this at the source”  
“I know. But we’re here anyway. Minus well enjoy the city.” I said. I jumped down and slide on the cliff and ran to the city.   
I saw a news crew reporting this. I saw a Dark Reader attack the reporter. I ran to rescue her. “Guardian coming through.” I said as I pulled out my swords and attacked the Dark Reader. “I suggest you run.” I told her. The Dark Reader blasted a dark missile at me but I made a barrier of earth and blacked it. I threw my swords at him and they cut through him.   
“It’s the teenager from the high school at Ace city. He’s fighting the monsters!” The reporter said. Out of nowhere, a white fire missile came my way and read it out of the way.   
“Well, mate, you gotten better” It was Zak.  
“I have.” I said as I fired a air missile. He jumped up and dodged it. And he landed on the ground. When he landed he summoned a wave of fire. I read it out of the way and read balls of earth to my hands and launched them at him. He smashed them with his swords. How? I don’t know. But he fired a massive fire beam. I read the earth and made a barrier.   
“Come on, mate. I thought you be a challenge.” At that moment, he disappeared and reappeared behind me. I blocked his attack with my swords. A fire missile came out of nowhere and hit Zak.  
“Stay away from him!”  
“Having your girlfriend fight for your battles?” Zak said  
“She’s not my – You know what?” I read some of the water in the air to imprison him with ice. “She is” I noticed Fate smiling.  
“Aww. How sweet.” Zak said as he used a fire repulse and melted the ice. “Get a room” after he said that, the Dark Readers came to his side. “Any last words?”  
“Yeah.” I said. I decided to test my new power. I focused and the aurora lights appeared in the sky.   
“What the bloody hell?” Zak said  
“Bye.” I said as my ‘last word’ I summoned down a ‘aurora storm’ and killed the Dark Readers and hit Zak. He could take all of that power. Fate just stood there in awe. When I ended, I walked up to them. The Dark Readers seem dead like empty shells. I looked at Zak. His hood was down and the white areas of his eyes were black.   
“Thank you.” He said as the black turned white and he died.  
“What the hell just happened?” Fate said  
“New power” I told her  
“Oh well that makes sense” She said.   
“Django!” Marc yelled. He and Callen ran up to me catching their breath.  
“that’s enough exercise… For the year” Callen said  
“Django, why didn’t you listen to me?” Marc argued  
“I know, I know, ground me after we save the world. We have to go. Now!” Marc stood there for a while.   
“Fine.” He finally said “Just don’t do that again”

We went back to the plane. Luckily, the Dark readers didn’t touch it, we used it and quickly took off. This is it. We were heading to our home., my home. The final battle is about to arrive. I thought back to my 16th birthday, when I discovered my powers. To think, I was a wimp, now I’m stronger than ever. Yep. This was the finish line. I just wish I wasn’t crossing it alone.


	12. Finishing what your Father Started

We landed in Ace City. There was a dark storm cloud over it. For some reason, the streets were empty. Human or Dark Reader were no where to be found.   
“Where is everyone?” Callen asked  
“Looks like they’re inside their houses but where’s the Dark Readers?” Marc asked  
“There” I pointed to Ace Tower. Ace Tower is in the center of Ace City. It’s also the tallest building in the city. Inside, the first floor is like a museum, once you go inside you see a statue of a hooded man. No one knew who he was but I figured out it was an Aura Reader. I didn’t just know which one.  
“I’m sensing a lot of energies there. It’s powerful even from here” Fate said. “But what about my mom?”  
“She’s fine; we got her to a bunker back at ops. She’s fine” Marc said.  
I sensed something else, I looked towards the temple. I saw the same hooded man from my 16th birthday. He looked at me and then the temple. He walked towards it and disappeared. “Django, you ok?” Fate asked  
“There’s something at the temple” I said  
“I don’t sense anything” Fate said  
“I know, but something is there.” I said as I ran rooftop to rooftop to the temple.  
“Django! Not this again!” Marc said

I jumped down to the street. The temple was just down the street. I walked towards it. As I walked, I saw… I don’t know, but white figures running towards the tower and fighting the Dark Readers. But they didn’t look like the wolf like creatures today. They looked like the Aura Readers. When I entered the temple, I saw the shrine again. I remember the last time I was here with Fate, when I first took the steps to being what I am today. I saw a white figure of the same hooded man put in a sword in the shrine and it went inside it like how the mask was in Furno. As he walked away, he disappeared. I heard a voice saying “I could’ve stopped this from happening” I looked around for the voice.  
“Who’s there?” I demanded. I looked back to the shrine and I saw the hooded man again. He looked like he was there, but he wasn’t. It was hard to explain.  
“Because of he was my friend; I didn’t have the guts to stop him. Don’t do what I did. Stop this from happening, Django.”  
“How do you know my name?”  
“Ever since I failed to stop him, I told your mother to give you to your uncle’s to protect you until your old enough to learn of our kind. I watched over you, making sure that you were safe, so you can stop him and avenge us.”  
“So are you --“  
“Yes.”  
“I didn’t even finish my question”  
“I think you know already. Don’t die my son” The man disappeared. Now my theory is true. That man is my father. The man that I saw all my life.  
I walked up to the shrine and placed my hand on it, the patterns on it turned muddied red. The same color as my aura. The shrine started to open and as it opened Marc, Fate, and Callen entered the temple catching their breath.  
“Django, you have to stop doing this” Marc said  
“I had a reason, uncle” I told him  
“And what is that?”  
“I saw my dad” When I said that, Marc had a shocked look on his face. “And he talked to me just now”  
“Mordecai…” Marc said quietly “What did he tell you?”  
“To avenge all of them.” I said. The shrine opened and a great sword came out. Not just any sword, the base was star-shaped. When I grabbed it, I had a quick image and a small power transfer. I saw a different hooded man with his eyes glowing. I pulled it out.   
“That was Mordecai’s sword” Marc said  
“It was?” I asked  
“He told me it belonged to ‘the first guardian’ he never said more. I didn’t want him to tell me if he didn’t want to.” Marc explained  
“So now what?” Callen asked. I stood there with my back still turned for a moment  
“Django?” Fate asked. I took out the dual blades and tossed them to Callen  
“Here Callen, You’ll need these” I said. He caught them   
“You’re giving me these?” He asked. I put the star blade in the slot in my sling pack.  
“You’ll need it on our way there.” I told them. “Marc, everyone at the ops needs you right now.” I looked at Fate. “You ready for this?” I asked. She gave me a thumbs up   
“I’m always ready” she answered  
“Don’t die, Django” Marc said  
“I won’t.” I said. 

We fought several Dark Readers on our way to the tower. No way these jokes are getting in my way. When we entered, Logan wasn’t there, but I know he’s here. Fate and I heard his voice  
“Well, well, well. Welcome you two. The two last Aura Readers here.”   
“Where are you, Logan!?” I demanded  
“I’m everywhere.” He said as he teleported on top of the statue. “Welcome to where it all started: the tower. This is where the elders worked, where important decisions are made, and where they decided I should be banished.”  
“I’d say you deserved it, ass-hat” Fate said  
“But because of that, I became what I am now.” Logan said  
“Tell us. What happened here?” I told him. Logan thought about it for a moment  
“Very well. You see, one day, your father found this mask at the temple. We didn’t know what it was because some records of our past were destroyed. I never liked the humans. How they judged each other, fought. Some would kill others. Not just physically, but by simply telling them to go die. When we discovered the mask’s potential, I suggested that we use it to kick the humans who deserved it out of here, but the elders didn’t like the idea. So I had to take actions to my own hands. I tried to steal the mask, but your father stopped me. For my crimes, the elders kicked me out; I was left in the human world by myself. The loneliness was unbearable, until one day, I saw HIM: the true enemy of the Aura Readers. He promised me my dream: to rid this world of the evil that is here. I recruited the Dark Readers and we invaded Ace City. They fought, but a lot of them retreated here. They had one option: escape. Use the Mask to escape.”  
“No!” I said. They couldn’t have run. They would’ve stayed and fought. Fight to the bitter end… would they? “Aura Readers don’t run”   
“Oh really?” Logan said. “Mask of dimensions! Find the Aura Readers!” As he said that a portal opened in front of me. I walked to it. I extended my hand. I could feel them, The Aura Readers. Just on the other side of this portal.  
“Cowards! All of them!” Logan yelled. “Only three stayed, Fate, your father and his infant son. He sent them all into another dimension and stayed behind. When I came in, He opened another portal and threw the mask in. We fought, I demanded to know where he sent the mask. He refused. When I defeated him, I tried using the mind-link to find out, but it wasn’t easy, but all I learned is that only a true guardian can get it. I also learned he sent your mother to her brother’s so you would be safe. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where he moved to, but I eventually cornered her on the Venice beach pier. Before I could get to her, she jumped over the railing. I couldn’t sense her. But she was gone.” My eyes had small tears when I heard that. I’m pretty sure Fate saw me. She still teases me about that. “So she’s still alive”  
“Perhaps.” Logan said “I offer you this one chance, Django. Go home. Join your race. Or stay and suffer.” You had no idea how much I would loved to step through that portal, to be with my kind. Learn so much more about myself. But I looked at Logan, and came to a conclusion.   
“If I leave you with the mask, no one will be safe.” I finally said. I turned away from the portal and walked up to Fate. “Not the Aura Readers, not my friends, not this world or the universe. I’m not going anywhere until it’s destroyed” Fate smiled at me. The portal behind me disappeared.  
“Well then.” Logan said “I guess you’ll have to die” Logan teleported and was about to strike me with his sword. I pulled out my sword and blocked it. “I see you found Mordecai’s sword. That was created by the first guardian when this planet was a mere baby.” I tried to use an aura push, but he disappeared again. “Your mother wasn’t a Aura Reader, she was human. She thought you would be a great warrior. But you became a messager. No one respects the messager.”  
“Shut up” I said. He reappeared above us and threw dark missiles at us. We dodged but when he landed, he sent a shockwave that shaked most of us.   
We fired missiles at him but he read the earth to make a barrier and launched the earth at us. We dodged them and I threw my sword. He teleported behind me, I dodged his attack and grabbed my sword. He teleported again and we clashed swords.  
“Your father, mother, uncle, Fate’s father and I were good friends. Why he trust humans with our secrets was beyond me.” Fate fired a fire beam at him which broke the clash.   
“You knew my father?” Fate asked. Her mom said before we left that her father was banished because of his crimes. We didn’t know what crimes. Fate never grew up with a father, as she got old enough to understand the world; she thought he left his family. But now, he didn’t leave because he was a douche who didn’t care for his family, he left because he was forced to.  
“Yes, I never knew what happened to him; I assumed he died in the invasion.” Logan explained.   
“You bastard” Fate said. He teleported to Fate and they locked swords.  
“I’ll take care of you first” He said  
“No!” I jumped on him. I reached for the mask. I tried the mind-link. But something went wrong, the mask started to glow, a portal appeared below our feet. Logan and I went through the portal.  
“Django!” Fate yelled. We went through. And ended up in a place… I don’t know how to explain it but a floating piece of earth with a pillar. There were several platforms of earth floating everywhere. The sky was… well I’m not sure if it was a sky, I’m not sure if we were in our universe, but it was purple. Logan touched the mask.  
“You cracked it, it’ll take sometime for it to recharge, but I’ll kill time by killing you!” Logan yelled as he created a fire wave at me, he then launched earth missiles at me.  
“You can control all elements too!?” I asked  
“I don’t want to spoil everything” He fired more missiles at me; I read, blocked and dodged them. Logan then teleported next to me and fired a white fire beam at me. I managed to read some of the fire from killing me but it burned me good.  
I couldn’t bear anymore attacks; I created a ball of earth to protect me.   
“Come on, Django.” Logan said “I thought you would put up more of a fight.” I had to collect my thoughts, figure out how to defeat him. I could feel him launching fire missiles and fire beams in a effort to break it. I don’t know why he didn’t simply read the earth to crush me. I guess he was playing with me. I could sense him building more and more power and launched it all in a aura beam. The blast broke the barrier. I tried to read the aura to prevent it from killing me but I still got hurt from it, the blast was also powerful enough to hit me against the pillar.   
When I hit it, it crumbed and I was in the pile. I’m not sure if I can win. He’s so much stronger. I’m just so weak. Will I lied there, I had a vision; several hooded men, each one with glowing aura reader eyes. Some had sleeveless shirts and their veins glowed. Each had a different color. I heard my father’s voice.  
“The elemental overload: a defense mechanism that collects every element you know,” He kept disappearing and reappearing in different places as we talked “And gives you the wisdom and power of all guardians before you. But it comes with a price”   
“What price?” I asked  
“It is hard to control, if used too much, it can weaken you. Use it when you’re at the corner.” He explained.  
“When did I get this?”  
“You always had it. It’s always with you.” He said. “I have to go, use it now, while your enemy doesn’t know.” I wanted to know something before he left my mind.   
“… Dad?”  
“… Yes?” He asked. I paused to think of one question.  
“What was mom like?”   
He chuckled “You mom… God, The day I met her… I was sent on a mission in L.A. I was chasing a Dark Reader until he used his aura grip to start a car and it almost hit someone. I had to stop it. He got away but it wasn’t a terrible loss. Little did I know, the woman I saved, would become my wife.” He paused   
“Is she…?” He stayed quiet.  
“I don’t know… But Django…” He removed his hood; it was like looking at a mirror. But he had a goatee. “Avenge us, not just the Aura Readers but everyone he killed, I never stopped him because he was my friend I thought I could save him but...“ He paused. I guess trying to kill a friend is unbearable. How can you kill your best friend? “Save everything” He disappeared and I came to.   
Logan walked up to the pile of rubble.  
“Come on, little one. Your about to be --“ Before he finished I quickly arose from the pile and grabbed his face. I stared his eyes with my Aura Eyes. My veins glowed red. I saw panic in his eyes. He tried hitting me with an aura missile, but my preflex was more stronger than before and I aura pushed him first. But this wasn’t a regular aura push. It was super powered. Like all of the elements were combined into it. So this is the power of the elemental overload. My god, the power. It was so strong, I could feel it running through my veins “So you finally got it.” He launched an Aura beam at me but I read it out of the way. He teleported again but I knew he would be and fired an elemental missile right there, he teleported right in front of it. He got knocked back hard. I dashed and took out my sword and attack him, he blocked it and read the earth to hit me. I released the block. And jumped back, dodging them. I threw elemental grenades and they made a massive explosion. He dashed at me and blocked his attack with my sword. “Yes, use that power harness it!” The swords came out of our hands. We were disarmed. He reached for my head, trying to reach my face to use the mind-link.   
I saw his eyes: black with the Aura Reader eyes. I reached for the mask, and I used the mind-link and I saw everything. I saw him when he was banished, and the invasion. I also saw him fighting it, trying to break free. I also saw him when he was at my school, I saw his eyes. They were white. He fought the darkness that was controlling him to warn me. Back in the present, Logan screamed as I used the mind-link, I tried taking off the mask, I could feel it ripping from his skin. I teared it off and used the aura push. I then used my ultimate attack. I used the aurora storm. I could feel the souls of the Aura Readers that died with me, like they are in the aurora lights. I brought down the storm  
“DIE!” The storm hit, Logan was screaming from the pain I give in to my anger and made it as long as I could. That scream, the pain. I loved it. He tortured my family, my race. I enjoyed every second of it. When it ended, I could see his lifeless body. I could feel the overload fading. I looked at the mask; I used the aura grip to get it. I walked over to him.  
“Django…” He managed to get out. “I’m… sorry.”  
“Sorry?” I said “You killed half my kind, forced them to escape, kill my parents, and all you could come up with was ‘sorry’!? Tell me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right here!”  
“It was true, I didn’t like the humans. But when HE was in control, he killed off the innocent; I didn’t want that, just the ones who deserved it. I tried fighting it, but couldn’t I knew his plan and tried to warn you…”  
“So that vision you give me at my school…”   
“Wasn’t me… it was my son.”  
“Your son?” I was shocked. His son? The person that would destroy everything is his son? At that moment of trying to think what he just said, he launched himself at me, and used the mind-link and showed me the vision again. I saw his son, a Reader bend on destroying all humans. I saw his army. I saw Paldia. One of the cities, But I saw some giant chamber. And I saw me and him: about to fight. This is the future? The final battle?   
Logan fell back, dead. His final message burned into my mind. I looked at him, one of my dad’s best friends, and turned away. The answers I found out today… They changed everything. Logan is not the threat but a warning. I looked at the mask. I had a choice: go be with my people, or go back. I then feel the place shake. It was about to be destroyed. I had no time to decide, I made a choice   
“Mask of dimensions! Take me home!” I felt the mask. I feel the power surging through me as it opened the portal. I ran into it. 

I woke up in a hospital bed. I saw Fate, Marc, and Callen.  
“Oh my god! You’re alive!” Fate said as she hugged me  
“You ok, kid?” Callen asked  
“Well I’m alive aren’t I?” I told him. Marc walked up to me and hugged me  
“So glad you made it.” He said. The Dark Readers all fell to the ground and died.”  
“What happened?” Callen asked  
“Yea tell us!” Fate said. I told them what happened and about his son. They didn’t like the news “So…” Fate said. “His son is still out there”  
“Yes.” I said  
“Well what do we do?” Callen asked  
“We wait.” Both Marc and I said at the same time.  
“What?” Callen and Fate said  
“He’ll come. And we he does, we’ll be there, to stop him.” 

Throughout this whole thing, I thought it would all end when I defeated Logan. But no. Only another threat only I can defeat. God, where have I heard of this before? But can I defeat the one true evil? What will happen when the one time these people will need me and I fail? I can’t think of that. His son is out there and he’ll come. He’ll destroy everything. He’ll rule everything. All for the sake of ‘peace’. The only thing stopping him is me. I can stop him; only me. When he does get here, I will be ready.


End file.
